Former US president Donald Trump’s choice of US Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate makes his break with the foreign policy old guard of his party complete.
The first formal pick of his potential administration is a 39-year-old former Marine who voted against more military aid to Ukraine, wants to help Israel “finish the job” against Hamas, and says the US is “stretched too thin” overseas and should zero in on Asia to counter China.
Vance even went so far as to brand China the biggest threat to the US in one of his first interviews since being named Trump’s running mate, underscoring the likely hawkish stance of their administration toward Beijing if elected.
Photo: AFP
The Ohio senator made the remarks in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday.
Asked about the war in Ukraine, Vance said that Trump would negotiate with Moscow and Kyiv to “bring this thing to a rapid close so America can focus on the real issue, which is China.”
“That’s the biggest threat to our country and we are completely distracted from it,” he said, shortly after joining the Republican presidential ticket.
Vance’s views would be a boon to Taiwan and other Asian nations, which have warned about growing Chinese encroachment.
He has also said he is a “fan of AUKUS,” the US’ defensive alliance with the UK and Australia that looks to counter China with a boosted fleet of submarines and technology-sharing.
Vance’s views mirror the rise of a new strain of policy shared by younger Republicans — and fueled by Trump — that the old ways are out of date. Their approach questions the one-time conventional wisdom that the US should seek primacy through leading global alliances, promote democracy and entice other nations to embrace American values.
“This is the first appointment [Trump] has made of his supposed second term,” said Ivo Daalder, the US ambassador to NATO under former US president Barack Obama. “And it demonstrates that what he’s looking for is someone who affirms his views, not contradicts them, at least as far as it comes to Ukraine and NATO and foreign policy.”
However, Vance was harshly critical of Trump before and after Trump’s 2016 election win, calling him an “idiot” and “America’s Hitler,” among other epithets.
Yet as he geared up to run for the US Senate in Ohio in 2022, Vance transformed into one of Trump’s most consistent defenders, supporting him even when some Senate colleagues declined to do so.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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