I just finished reading this article in Foreign Policy. It is a searing, fact-filled indictment of Donald Trump's onward march to curry favor with authoritarian leaders while undermining (if not destroying) our relationships with longstanding allies.
The article dramatically underscores the urgency of restoring our relationships with friends, securing the NATO alliance, standing up to Russia, North Korea and other nations that threaten our national security, reclaiming a leadership role in solving global problems like climate change, pandemics, nuclear proliferation, poverty, social justice... The list goes on and on as Donald J. Trump continues to destroy our nation's stature as a respected and trusted global leader.
Trump's foreign relations strategies, or lack thereof, are our focus in this newsletter. As always, we strive to keep the newsletter “short and sweet.” So, as you move through the 12 bullet points below, know that our overriding challenge was to cull back scores of bullets citing other egregious foreign policy transgressions by this administration.
Remember Trump's claim, "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters”? We are working tirelessly to make November 3rd a day of reckoning for Trump and the Republicans in Congress who continue to “let him get away with murder.”
Renee Ramirez Keaney, MDTC Chair
______________________
Trump & International Relations/Foreign Policy
TAKE NOTE THEN VOTE
Since taking office, Donald Trump has (among other things):
- Rejected U.S. intelligence agencies’ findings that Russia had meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
- Disputed a finding by U.S. intelligence that Russia paid bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American troops in Afghanistan, proclaimed it a hoax, and stated that he has not discussed it with Vladimir Putin.
- Banned nationals of numerous Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States, frozen refugee intake from Syria, and used federal funds to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Withdrawn the United States from the 2015 Paris climate accord.
- Announced that the Obama-era DACA program would be phased out, leaving hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries at risk of deportation.
- Proclaimed, without obtaining any concessions in return, that he would not recertify Iran’s compliance with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to Congress.
- Pursued a trade war with China, levying tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods; In retaliation China imposed tariffs on $110 billion worth of U.S. products. (Trump tweeted, “trade wars are good, and easy to do.
- Before he was pressured to reverse it, instituted a blanket “zero tolerance” policy that would separate more than 2,600 children from their parents.
- Expressed strong support for Saudi Arabia and its leadership, notwithstanding the assassination of a dissident Saudi journalist.
- Caused a 35-day shutdown of the federal government (the longest ever) due to his demand for $5.7 billion for his wall along the southern U.S. border.
- Been impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on findings that he pressured the Ukrainian government to investigate his political opponents.
- Repeatedly received low international ratings for world leadership.
_________________________________________________________
VOTING IN MASSACHUSETTS THIS YEAR?
_________________________________________________________
Come to Our First Ever Virtual MDTC Picnic!
For details, tickets, and sponsorships, click here
(Pay online with ActBlue or by check.)
