Donald Trump portrays himself as a savvy foreign policy operator who, as president, weakened our country’s adversaries and heightened the world’s respect for America. He vows to do so again if elected in November.
In fact, Trump’s record as president is the opposite of what he claims. And his return to the White House could severely undermine our standing in the world, and our security.
President Trump made catastrophic decisions that rendered America and its allies less safe, while bolstering authoritarian regimes. His constant praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin dumbfounded experts in foreign policy and intelligence — at home and abroad. His embrace of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has emboldened a reckless dictator and his campaign for deployable nuclear weapons.
Perhaps Trump’s greatest blunder involved Iran, one of America’s most ardent and dangerous adversaries. He pulled the United States out of a 2015 multi-nation agreement to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions under control in exchange for better economic treatment from the West. International experts said the plan was working, as Iran pursued nuclear advancements chiefly for energy purposes, not warfare. But Trump summarily called it off.
He claimed that slapping new economic sanctions on Iran would cripple the Tehran regime and force it to beg for something better. As the New York Times recently reported, “Mr. Trump was wrong on both counts. ... Iran has moved closer than ever to the ability to produce several nuclear weapons, dramatically bolstering the speed at which it can produce nuclear fuel in recent weeks.”
This is precisely what military and diplomatic experts predicted when Trump brashly withdrew the United States from the treaty, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA. The nonpartisan Arms Control Association wrote five years ago: “Not surprisingly, Trump’s ill-conceived ‘maximum pressure’ campaign, which involves reimposing sanctions that were lifted when Iran met key JCPOA requirements, has done nothing to force changes in Iran’s regional behavior,” which threatens U.S. allies.
“What is most tragic about the growing crisis,” the Arms Control Association said, “is that Trump’s decision to violate U.S. commitments under the JCPOA appears to be based on a set of falsehoods and misconceptions that Trump and his senior officials continue to repeat” — specifically, that the Obama/Biden administration would have given Iran “free access to nuclear weapons. Nonsense.”
Fast-forward five years, to April 13, 2024, and we see how worrisome Iran now stands as a growing nuclear threat.
Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones into Israel, as that nation continued its attacks on Iranian-backed Hamas in Gaza. The Arms Control Association reported that the next day, “Iran closed its nuclear facilities to international inspectors,” and a senior military official “said Tehran may rethink its prohibition on developing nuclear weapons if Israel retaliates by attacking the country’s nuclear infrastructure.”
Another group that monitors geopolitics, Responsible Statecraft, recently published a Middle East analysis titled, “Killing the Iran nuclear deal was one of Trump’s biggest failures.” The article said the decision has left Tehran “closer than ever to a bomb.”
While Trump was cavalier and foolhardy in approaching Iran, the Biden-Harris administration has been steadfast and realistic. In April, after Iran attacked Israel with missiles and drones, President Biden said the United States and its G7 allies “are committed to acting collectively to increase economic pressure on Iran” and to take measures to “restrict Iran's destabilizing military programs.”
As Trump campaigns for a return to the White House, his foreign policy ideas are as reckless and wrong-headed as ever. He vowed to encourage Russians to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that doesn’t meet military spending guidelines.
Domestic and economic issues always dominate U.S. presidential races. But voters must not overlook the risks of putting Trump — a man with scant understanding of, or interest in, geopolitical policies and stakes — back in a position to do so much harm.
Charles Babington covered Washington beats, including Congress and the White House, for 20 years for The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and for the News & Observer of Raleigh.
