Welcome to Washington: How Biden’s Foreign Policy Mistakes Set Trump Up To Be a Peacemaker

With President Trump set to be inaugurated for a second term, he is being well-set up to be a dealmaker — from the Middle East to Europe. He could emerge as the kind of diplomatic heavyweight that President Biden always claimed to be. Welcome to Washington, where one doesn’t have to take that from me. Put the question to the highest-ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, Congressman Jim Himes. I asked him about what he thinks Mr. Biden’s foreign policy legacy will be in the coming weeks and months.Mr. Trump has already been — to use the Biden State Department’s words — “critical” to kicking off phase one of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. A negotiated settlement for the Russia-Ukraine War could also soon be on the table, as the president-elect has told the public he is seeking peace talks as soon as possible. The protracted conflicts at both Gaza and in Ukraine were an albatross for the 46th president. According to a Gallup survey from March, just 27 percent of Americans thought Mr. Biden was handling the Middle East situation well.Another poll found only 37 percent believed Mr. Biden was “respected” by foreign leaders. A CBS News poll from April found just 39 percent approved of how Mr. Biden was dealing with the Ukraine war, while 61 percent disapproved. Mr. Trump is already on better footing with voters in respect of foreign affairs than the incumbent is. A majority of Americans are expressing confidence that he has the strength and judgment to lead. The Economist and YouGov found in their November 2024 poll — conducted after Mr. Trump had won his second term — that Americans are optimistic about his chances at restoring peace and stability.Among respondents, 66 percent say that the president-elect is a “strong leader,” 55 percent said he will be an “effective” commander in chief, and 50 percent believe he is capable of handling an international crisis, compared to just 39 percent who say he is not. Mr. Trump’s perceived strength on international issues, coupled with the ceasefire agreement and the protracted war in Ukraine, could be setting him up to be a successful negotiator. Mr. Biden’s inability to more quickly arm Ukraine and authorize the use of American weapons within Russia have been criticized as an error that has led to a drawn-out conflict. This was made clear when I spoke with Mr. Himes about how history may remember Mr. Biden decades from now. Mr. Himes praised the outgoing president for strengthening America’s alliances in Europe, as well as new relationships in the Indo-Pacific. Mr. Himes warned, though, that the White House was not nearly aggressive enough with respect to allowing Ukraine to defend itself, which he thinks has led to a protracted Russian viability. “I was always frustrated because I thought that he was under-hawkish on Russia,” Mr. Himes told me in an interview on Capitol Hill. “I expressed that frustration on a number of occasions, and I think the fact that the White House was so really obsessed with red lines and escalation has — sadly — meaningfully contributed to the situation on the battlefield today.”“I, again, give the president enormous credit for rebuilding and re-establishing some really critical alliances, but you know, the Russia — Ukraine theater — I wish he’d been more aggressive,” Mr. Himes said. The Connecticut Democrat was generous enough to offer some praise for Mr. Trump’s role in helping to push the Israel–Hamas ceasefire agreement forward. “There’s no doubt in my mind,” Mr. Himes said when I asked him if he thought Mr. Trump deserved some credit for the deal. “He has a very — apparently — very strong relationship with Bibi, and when [Trump] puts out a statement like, ‘this better be solved before I take office,’ my guess is that the prime minister listened to that,” Mr. Himes said. “I’m perfectly willing to believe that.”For my part, it’s not hard to imagine that Mr. Trump’s warning gave even greater pause to Hamas. The Senate’s majority whip, Senator Barrasso, in another interview at the Capitol last week, praised Mr. Trump for his brash negotiating style and his no-holds-barred pressure tactics that could make the 47th president a true peacemaker. “I think that the world is seeing Donald Trump coming into power in the United States and we’re seeing changes around the world to reflect a new strength in America,” the Wyoming senator told me.

Welcome to Washington: How Biden’s Foreign Policy Mistakes Set Trump Up To Be a Peacemaker

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