A number of Republican lawmakers are admitting that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is drifting away from the “America first” mantra he’s frequently championed, according to a report Saturday from The Washington Post.
“This does seem to be a deviation from a pure ‘America First’ foreign policy,” said Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), speaking to the Post about Trump’s recent foreign policy decisions, which include approving a $20 billion bailout for Argentina, or launching targeted strikes on suspect drug cartels headed toward the United States.
Young went on to compare Trump’s recent foreign policy decisions to that of former President Barack Obama, saying Trump’s foreign policy was, “in some respects, an echo of a previous president who described his foreign policy as ‘don’t do stupid [stuff].’”
Young was not alone in describing Trump’s foreign policy as being antithetical to “America first.” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) expressed reservations over Trump’s bailout of Argentina, sparked by skyrocketing inflation and rising debts in the country following the election of its new president, Javier Milei, a strong ally to Trump.
“I’m not a huge fan of bailouts. Let’s see where that ends up. My gut reaction is always be skeptical,” Hawley said, speaking with the Post.
“We’re $2 trillion short this year, and the idea of sending $20 billion to another country when we’re short, when we’re facing a government shutdown, because we don’t have the resources for the people in our country, I think it’s a bad idea.”
And Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), another Trump ally, has outright rejected Trump’s use of the military to target suspected drug cartels, calling it a “terrible idea.”
“You can’t just blow up boats of people who you don’t even know their name,” Paul said on Thursday, speaking with members of the media, the Post reported. “In fact, you all should be asking the White House, what are their names and what is the proof that they were involved in this crime? They’re accused of something, we basically are summarily executing people who are accused of something. It’s a terrible idea.”