Biden and Trump offer competing visions of US role in the world

On the eve of their first presidential debate, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are offering very different visions of the role of the United States in the world, both in substance and in style.

The rare confrontation between a current president and a former president highlights their stark contrasts. During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump pledged to prioritize “America First”, with a combative and often isolationist view of the world, while Biden took office in 2021 promising that ” America is back,” rekindling relations with its allies.

The two presidents have fundamental beliefs in common. Both were adamant about withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, believing America’s longest war was not worth the price in American blood and treasure.

But the two men have criticized each other over implementation, consistent with their deep public disagreements on most issues.

– Russia and Ukraine –

Biden led international efforts to support Ukraine after Russia invaded the neighboring country – in defiance of its direct warnings – in February 2022.

With Biden’s encouragement, the US Congress approved $175 billion in support for Ukraine, including budgetary and military support. Biden made a surprise visit to kyiv last year and called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “brutal tyrant.”

Trump has expressed skepticism about aid to Ukraine, saying he expects a Russian victory, and his supporters in Congress have delayed the latest military program for kyiv for months.

Trump bragged about quickly ending the war. His advisers have talked about promoting a ceasefire, perhaps warning Ukraine that aid would dry up unless it compromises on its borders — a suggestion roundly rejected by Biden, who says only Ukraine should determine its future.

Trump has previously expressed admiration for Putin and was impeached as president for the first time for delaying military aid to Ukraine while pressuring President Volodymyr Zelensky to dig up compromising information on Biden’s family.

– Middle East –

During his presidency, Trump was a strong supporter of Israel, taking historic steps such as moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, which the Palestinians also want as their future capital.

Trump accused Biden of “abandoning” Israel. Biden, however, has long presented himself as a defender of Israel and has been criticized by the left of his Democratic Party for his support, including weapons and his veto at the UN Security Council.

Biden nevertheless clashed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Palestinian civilian casualties and froze an arms shipment that included 2,000-pound heavy bombs.

While one would expect Trump to be more hawkish, he also criticized Netanyahu for failing to prevent the October 7 Hamas attack, amid bitterness over Netanyahu’s quick acknowledgment of Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, concluded the “Abraham Accords” at the end of his term in which the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalized relations with Israel – the first new Arab recognition in decades.

Biden’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, claimed progress in closing an even bigger target: Saudi Arabia. But the Biden administration criticizes Trump for supporting Netanyahu by sidestepping the Palestinian issue in his campaign for Arab recognition of Israel.

Biden also accused Trump of worsening Iran’s nuclear program by withdrawing from a deal negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

Trump counters that the deal wasn’t strong enough and that Biden has largely given up on reviving it.

– China, North Korea and allies –

Both Trump and Biden have described China as the United States’ main long-term rival and worked to counter Beijing, but they set a different tone.

In some areas, Biden has taken tougher action against China, including imposing a sweeping ban on semiconductor exports, but he has also talked about preventing competition from escalating into conflict and cooperating in specific areas like than climate change. Biden held a cordial summit last year with President Xi Jinping.

Trump has described China as an enemy and pledged to sharply raise tariffs. But Trump also insisted that Xi is a “good friend.”

Trump has often praised authoritarian leaders, saying he “fell in love” with North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un. Trump met with Kim three times – an unusually personal diplomacy that reduced tensions but did not result in any lasting agreement.

In turn, Trump attacks Western Democratic allies who he sees as unfairly benefiting from the United States.

During the election campaign, he suggested he would encourage Russia to “do whatever it wants” if NATO allies don’t “pay (their) bills”, a reference to military spending.

These words could not be more different from those of Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell: “If you ask me what the “Biden Doctrine” would be, it would consist of intensifying partnerships with allies and friends.

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