Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has penned an essay in Foreign Affairs urging President-elect Donald Trump to reject isolationist voices within their party and focus on building foreign policy around military strength. McConnell emphasized the importance of the United States maintaining and improving its global strength to prevent adversaries from filling any void left by a retreat from global engagement.
McConnell highlighted the need to restore American hard power, advocating for military readiness over both left-wing internationalism and right-wing isolationism. He specifically warned against the growing isolationist wing within the Republican Party and emphasized the importance of maintaining and improving global strength.
While McConnell acknowledged Trump's efforts to reverse some Obama-era limitations on assistance to Ukraine and authorize lethal weapons transfers to Kyiv, he also criticized Trump's inconsistent actions and words, particularly in relation to Russian President Vladimir Putin. McConnell recommended a significant and sustained increase in defense spending, investments in the defense industry, and access to new military capabilities.
The essay comes after years of a complex relationship between McConnell and Trump, with McConnell aligning with Trump when necessary but also criticizing him behind the scenes. McConnell's essay signals his commitment to cementing his legacy by pushing the Republican Party to embrace the U.S. role as a global leader.
McConnell warned against prioritizing a single theater over broader U.S. interests, cautioning that a Russian victory would not only damage European security but also increase threats from China, Iran, and North Korea. He emphasized the need for the United States to avoid retreating from global engagement to prevent adversaries from taking advantage of any void left by such a retreat.
