Trump’s failed foreign policy

Friends,

Events of this week have revealed a stark and undeniable reality – President Trump is wholly unfit for the presidency and is a national security risk to the United States. By indicating that he would accept foreign intervention in future elections, the president of the United States has demonstrated an appalling disregard for U.S. law, norms, values, and our national security.

Republican silence in the face of the president’s actions has been deafening. The president’s dangerous statements should not be viewed through a partisan lens. We know foreign countries have – and will continue attempts to – manipulate our elections, and members of both parties and the White House must demonstrate leadership in the face of this persistent threat. The stakes could not be higher, as the credibility of future U.S. elections and the strength of our democracy is at risk.

Events of this week have epitomized Trump’s failure to lead both at home and abroad. At home, he has repeatedly disregarded and obstructed the law. Abroad, he has isolated the U.S. from our allies and aligned with dictators and adversaries. America is strongest when our foreign policy is consistent with our values and protects our strategic interests, and Trump has betrayed these values and diminished our leadership on the world stage.

Read on to learn more about Trump’s failed foreign policy, and about how you can support the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) as we aim to ensure our elected officials represent our values and defend U.S. interests.

Aligning with dictators. The president’s assertion this week that he would accept information on his political opponents from foreign governments was a green light to dictators such as Russian President Putin. Unfortunately, Putin wasn’t the only dictator who received a green light from Trump this week. On Tuesday, President Trump told the world that he would no longer allow the CIA to gather intelligence on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. This is the same brutal dictator that commits human rights abuses against his people and threatens the U.S. and our allies with its nuclear program. This is the same dictator who President Trump excused for the killing of a U.S. citizen, and the same dictator that continues to move forward with its nuclear development, which Trump has failed to address through negotiations. This latest development with North Korea caused analysts on CNN to earlier this week ask the question that we’re all asking about President Trump – “who’s side is he on?!” Clearly, it’s not the side of the United States.

Aligning with anti-Semites. Also this week, President Trump met with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is dismantling Poland’s democracy, attacking the media, and regularly using anti-Semitic tropes and dog whistles. In fact, just last month, Duda declared that Jews foster hatred for Poles, exacerbating the growing tide of anti-Semitism in his country. President Trump’s White House meeting with President Duda was the latest example – just one month after his meeting with Hungarian President Orban – of Trump’s embrace of right-wing populist leaders in Europe and blatant disregard of their ongoing promotion of anti-Semitism.

Abandoning the two-state solution. In 2016, the Republican Party removed support for a two-state solution from its party platform, and now the Trump administration appears to have given-up on a two-state solution entirely. This week, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that Israel has a right to annex at least some of the West Bank. As Democratic House leaders and staunch supporters of Israel affirmed in April, annexation of the West Bank would diminish prospects for a two-state solution, which has been U.S. policy for more than two decades. JDCA agrees with Chairman Engel, Chairwoman Lowey, Chairman Deutch, and Congressman Schneider that annexation would push the parties further from a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that “two states for two peoples, negotiated directly by the two sides, with mutually agreed upon land swaps, is the best option to achieve a Jewish, democratic, secure Israel living side-by-side with a democratic, de-militarized Palestinian state.” Trump’s secretive “peace deal” – which has failed to materialize – and effective green light for annexation has made this objective even harder to achieve. For more on why Trump has not been good for Israel, see our update from last week.

JDCA Speaking Out

JDCA Board Member Michael Rosenzweig wrote that Republicans who support abortion bans are violating their oaths of office.

JDCA Executive Director Halie Soifer spoke against anti-choice legislation at the state level, noting that Jewish Americans are overwhelmingly pro-choice.

We applauded bipartisan Senate support and passage of two resolutions condemning all forms of anti-Semitism.

We decried President Trump’s alignment with North Korea’s dictator over his own intelligence agencies and the national security interests of the American people.

We criticized Senate Republicans for blocking legislation aimed at improving election security.

We welcomed the formation of a black-Jewish congressional caucus.

These are just a fraction of our activities. Every week brings challenges, and every week, we meet them. Stay informed in real-time by following JDCA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so that you don’t miss anything, including briefing calls and events. And it’s not too late to visit our online store to get the best Father’s Day gifts.

Our work is not possible without you, and we thank you for standing with JDCA as we fight for socially progressive, pro-Israel, and Jewish values.

 

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Father’s Day,

Ron Klein,
Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America

Halie Soifer,
Executive Director, Jewish Democratic Council of America