Op-ed by David T. Crum | Photo: Alamy
President Trump’s foreign policy kept America safe. Sure, Trump’s political rivals and the liberal media criticized the president every chance they could. They attacked him for having private meetings with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Further, the media condemned him for talks and encounters with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
One must ask, did Ukrainians, now suffering, prefer a line of U.S. discourse with Putin to a foreign policy of no communication from our current administration? Did Trump’s negotiations with Kim Jong Un and the cessation of missile threats make Japan and other countries feel safer? Undeniably, Japanese citizens preferred the days of no missile launches.
Liberals will continue to attack Trump as a negotiator with evil dictators. However, they are wrong. Does the media remember when Trump threatened to “totally destroy” Kim Jong Un’s regime in response to the dictator’s warning to America?
President Obama warned of military action if Syria’s leader (Bashar al-Assad) used chemical weapons or harmed civilians. Assad ignored Obama, and civilians suffered and died.
In contrast, Trump responded, attacking Syrian forces not once but twice. Constantly critiqued for his relations with American allies, the second attack underscored the unification of two of America’s greatest allies when French, British, and American forces united in a joint air mission. The world watched in awe as such power and unification left them trembling. During one of the attacks, Trump calmly informed visiting Chinese President Xi that U.S. forces had attacked Syria. Clearly strategic, Trump kept to his word and confronted evil.
Trump is similar to Reagan, displaying the mindset of peace through strength. ISIS ran rampant during the Obama administration. Americans watched in horror as ISIS beheaded journalist after journalist. Under Trump’s control, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi not only died but, according to the former president, “cried and screamed” before blowing himself up. Named Operation Kayla, the mission justifiably sought revenge, showcasing America’s power.
Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, too, lost his life from an intentional air strike by U.S. forces. Soleimani, the mastermind of deliberate attacks on U.S. troops, remained a legitimate threat to international peace.
Likewise, Trump challenged China, even earning support from Senate Democrats. Today, Americans read almost daily about Chinese war games, concentrating on a U.S. clash. The threat endures and appears to be growing increasingly worse.
The hotbed of terror, the Middle East, progressed in peace, with Israel making breakthrough peace negotiations with the UAE.
Finally, Trump initially campaigned on a secure, safe border. The decade-long border crisis ultimately came to a halt under his presidency. Unsurprisingly, Biden has done the opposite, allowing millions of illegal immigrants into the country. As commander-in-chief, Trump threatened military action against Mexico’s drug cartels. The media laughed and mocked him. During the first Republican national debate, the topic came up again, and Gov. Ron DeSantis repeated the same warning Trump made.
We live in a day where terrorists still exist and hate Americans. China and Russia have, by all accounts, united. Russia is still invading Ukraine. North Korea appears to be growing increasingly radical, negotiating further with Russia. And lest we forget, Iran remains a daily threat to the livelihood of America. The border continues to be swarmed by illegal immigrants, and liberal cities such as NYC and Boston have concluded they are in a crisis. As Reagan always taught, appeasement does nothing.
Americans can sit idly by or choose a powerful leader who emulates the peace through strength policy, improving the world, and keeping Americans safe. We desperately need the leadership of Donald Trump.