Editor’s Note: Big Ten Ideas always aims to provide balancing perspectives on the hottest issues of the day. Below is a column in which commentator Judah Friedman argues that former President Donald Trump would make the best commander-in-chief because of his foreign policy track record. You can find a counterpoint here, where former Trump official Alexander Gray argues that Ron DeSantis has the foreign policy chops to be president.
It’s easy to forget President Trump’s foreign policy achievements. For some reason. One, obviously, is that the media isn’t covering them; Two, honestly, he made it look easy; And three, apparently the Democrats never gave him credit, nor did the cabal of deep state Republicans in the Senate. No need to mention names but at least three of their last names start with “M”.
Here is a short list of his “never mentioned” achievements.
Remember the “junior varsity” team known as ISIS, brought upon us by Bush’s catastrophic foreign policy blunder and continued by Obama’s willful incompetence and capitulation to the Muslim world? Remember how they caused panic in the Middle East and parts of Europe? President Trump let generals be generals and ISIS was destroyed in his first year as president. After investigating all this, he had to undergo a knowledge test.
Let’s not forget when he took down Moab in Afghanistan, leaving Tucker Carlson and Ann Coulter apoplectic. We didn’t hear much from Syria for the next 3 years, did we? Who can forget Little Rocket Man who is sure to lead the Koreans into battle? It seemed like every 7 years North Korea would have an itch and both parties would have to pay for it. Not President Trump. Trying to collect money from Trump is like trying to get him to voluntarily release his tax returns. This will not happen.
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Plus, from pulling us out of the Iran nuclear deal to moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, officials in both parties say it will cause chaos. Well, it didn’t. Other countries subsequently followed suit and continue to do so today. And of course, his crowning achievement, Abraham’s covenants. Many scoffed when he promised peace in the region. It’s not perfect, and it never will be as long as you’re in Iran. So, is there any reason to doubt him when he says he will make peace between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours? During his 4 years, Russia did not make any invasion. It’s very interesting how everyone forgets Crimea. Then there’s China and the tariffs and the baseless predictions of a catastrophic global market collapse. How dare he weaponizes tariffs? President Trump did that and it worked. China has not threatened to attack Taiwan. They are not threatening the world and they are not Putin’s sugar daddy. I almost forgot about NAFTA. The list goes on. Oh, and what about paying our NATO partners? There has never been a better foreign policy president in my lifetime, I was born in 1976. President Trump has a vision. He realized that Europe as we know it did not exist for a number of reasons, the biggest being mass migration. He knew that the new Europe was the old Middle East, and not the commonplace, that this was where the money and innovation lay. For all those who say it’s blood money, if that’s the litmus test we won’t do business with anyone.
Finally, President Trump knows how to deal with brutal dictators, and neither Republicans nor Democrats know how to. He learned from his years in the business that these dictators needed to be treated with respect, even if it was just for show. Calling them his friend or friend, he knows that they will be disarmed. The media, the left, and the establishment always and still take him literally, not figuratively. But those brutal dictators were able to read between the lines and our country had four years of peace and very little bloodshed. Does anyone really think that Trump would have pulled America out of Kabul like Biden?
I didn’t bring up Ron DeSantis, nor did I bring up the other comparisons because there was honestly no point. Yes, he is a wonderful governor. But he has no foreign policy experience. Why should we expect him to do anything different? Did he ever leave a country other than Israel? We know who did it differently and we know who did it better. DeSantis, perhaps for 2028, with just one piece of advice, learn about the world, not just Disney World.
The podcast, co-hosted by Judah Friedman and producer Ben Stein, is heard live every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night at 10 PM ET. On the Rumble. A writer of conservative commentaries, he considered himself the Boswell of Ben Stein.