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Trump and Vance’s ‘America first’: hawkish on China, more flexible on Russia
- The Republican ticket for the US presidential election seems intent on shifting US foreign policy from Europe to Asia, analysts say
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Tough on China, less so on Russia, and transactional above all else.
That was the “America First” message Donald Trump and his newly minted running mate J.D. Vance cemented during the four-day Republican National Convention that concluded late Thursday night.
The messaging on China, save for Trump’s remark that Taiwan should pay the US for its defence, was consistent with the hardline posture that many within the Republican Party have taken.
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But the pair’s stance concerning Russia’s war on Ukraine underscores the growing rift with others in the party who still push for a more active stance to counter Moscow’s aggression.
This drive has garnered greater urgency after an unprecedented Nato declaration earlier this month accusing Beijing of sustaining Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
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Trump referred to the war a handful of times in his roughly 90-minute acceptance speech Thursday night, but said little beyond claiming that, had he been president in 2022 when Russia first invaded, it would not have occurred.
No fan of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Trump has argued that European members of the alliance must take their defence more into their own hands. And while not coming out in full opposition to Ukraine, he has been a consistent sceptic on increased aid to Kyiv.
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