Under Donald Trump, the Republicans have moved closer to Russia. After the attack on Ukraine, the conservatives are facing a crucial test. The former president already seems to have found his position.
In the early hours of the morning, the heads of state of western nations reacted in unison to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. US President Biden also spoke up that night: “The world will hold Russia accountable.” However, the people in the USA are by no means united behind this plan. A large segment of former President Donald Trump’s supporters resist Biden’s narrative. Trump himself announced during the night that there had been no invasion under his administration.
Under Donald Trump, the Republican Party has moved ever closer to Vladimir Putin’s policies in recent years. While conservative presidents like George W. Bush were once reliable transatlanticists, pro-Russian tendencies have crept into the party in recent years. Reactions to the Russia-Ukraine conflict between Trump supporters and traditional conservatives seem to once again reveal the deep rift in the Republican party. Some are calling for tough sanctions, others want to stay as far away from the conflict as possible – in line with Trump’s motto “America First”. What unites the two groups is their hatred of Joe Biden.
Republicans: Putin would be a better president than Biden
In a recent survey by “The Economist” and the polling portal “YouGov”, 89 percent of Trump voters said they rated Biden as unpopular. In the case of Putin, it was only 69 percent in the same group. Republicans also see Putin as an extremely strong leader compared to Joe Biden. Trump supporters were ten times more likely to describe Putin as a strong leader than the US President. The numbers support Trump’s view of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Just a few days ago, he described Putin’s actions in recognizing the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine and sending soldiers to the region as “brilliant”, “smart” and “savvy”.
Trump isn’t the only conservative to congratulate Putin on his military offensive. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Putin a “talented leader” to be admired and respected in an interview with Fox News. Much right-wing media in the United States also seems to support Putin’s argument that Russia only wants to protect itself against Western aggression in the form of NATO’s eastward expansion. The influential Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson demonstratively sided with Putin: “You should be asking yourself these days: What is this actually about? Why do I hate Putin at all?” In the same breath, he railed against Joe Biden: “Did Putin ever call me a racist? Did he threaten to fire me because I didn’t agree with him?” It seems like any means is right to denounce Biden.
“America First”: Many consider intervention to be unnecessary
Other right-wing populist politicians, such as JD Vance, do not want to praise Putin, but simply see no reason for American involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In a statement, the Ohio senator candidate said: “Spare me the performative affection for Ukraine. A corrupt country run by oligarchs and just as far from a functioning democracy in 2022 as Afghanistan was in 2021 when Biden was handed over to the Taliban.” Vance belongs to a group of Republicans who have placed Biden’s involvement in Ukraine at odds with popular right-wing issues such as migration.
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Arizona MP Paul A. Goar took the same line on Twitter: “We should just call ourselves Ukraine. Maybe then NATO would take care of our border as well.” In a previous post, Gosar also said: “Putin puts Russia first. Biden should put America first and instead lets in terrorists and welfare seekers.”
It seems like a controversy that the freedom-loving Republicans support an autocrat like Putin, who jails his critics, recognizes no political opposition and has allowed freedom of the press and independent courts to disappear more and more in recent years. However, Trump also broke with long-standing American norms of his time. He always tried to restrict courts, congress and the media – to the thunderous applause of his supporters: inside.
Some old-guard Republican MPs are now opposing the pro-Russian tendencies. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called for “crushing sanctions” on Putin and the Kremlin on Tuesday. According to McConnell, Putin should pay a higher price for the current warfare than for incursions into Georgia and Crimea.
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Liz Cheney supported McConnell on Twitter on Wednesday: “When Trump calls Putin a genius, it helps our enemies. Trump’s interests do not seem to align with the interests of the United States.” The Wyoming MP is considered one of the harshest critics of the former president within the Republican Party.
Europe looks spellbound to Washington
So, as Republicans continue to join forces against President Biden, an intense battle has erupted over how to deal with Russia. Even after Trump’s term in office has ended, many adhere to his “America First” principle and are critical of any foreign policy interventions. This is in direct contrast to the traditional American understanding of the world police force.
With a view to the next presidential elections, the international community will be watching with interest to see which side of the conflict can assert itself with its position. Should Trump or one of his followers be re-elected president in 2024, European states could be left to deal with a threat from the East on their own. Four years ago, Mike Pompeo warned that the US would not be willing to defend Europe forever.
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Source: Stern
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