Karl Rove, a former senior advisor to President George W. Bush, has criticized Donald Trump for his unclear position on global issues, labeling them as "silly." Rove also expressed concerns about how both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are handling America's increasing security threats.
With frozen conflicts in the Middle East on the verge of escalating into full-scale war, Beijing's aggressive stance toward Taiwan, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict being accompanied by growing nuclear risks, global security should be at the forefront of Americans' minds. Yet, it has been overshadowed by domestic issues like inflation, immigration, and abortion as both candidates head into the final weeks of the 2024 election.
In a Wednesday column for *The Wall Street Journal*, Rove pointed out that Trump occasionally claims he alone can maintain peace, but he finds this assertion overly vague and "silly." While Trump has touched on foreign policy concerns in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Indo-Pacific, he has been criticized for offering brief and ambiguous statements about his actual foreign policy plans.
Trump, for example, promised that negotiating a peace deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be "easy" and could be completed within 24 hours. However, he provided no details on how such a deal would be achieved.
Rove, who served as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff during the Bush administration and briefly advised Trump’s 2020 campaign, warned that this approach is insufficient, especially with the rising number of global threats facing the U.S. He referred to a July report from the bipartisan Commission on the National Defense Strategy, which stated that the U.S. is facing the most perilous international security landscape since World War II and questioned the country's readiness for a potential "near-term major war."
In response to Rove’s article, the Trump campaign, through the Republican National Committee, issued a statement defending the former president. It accused the Harris-Biden administration of jeopardizing U.S. national security more than any previous administration. The statement criticized Harris for her perceived weakness, which allegedly allowed Iran to target Trump, China to buy up U.S. farmland, Venezuela to send gang members into American communities, and terrorists to cross the U.S. border unchecked. It also emphasized that Trump had a record of strength and security, contrasting it with Harris's record of chaos both domestically and internationally.
Rove also took aim at Harris, noting that she largely ignores the increasingly precarious national security environment, raising questions about her suitability as a potential commander-in-chief.
Despite Rove’s warnings and those from the intelligence community, foreign policy remains a secondary concern for voters, with only 20 days remaining until Election Day. According to a Gallup poll conducted from September 16-28, the economy is the top priority for 52% of the 941 registered voters surveyed, with another 38% considering it "very important" in deciding their vote. U.S. democracy ranks second, followed by terrorism, potential Supreme Court picks, and immigration. Foreign affairs ranked just 14th on the list.
Rove pointed out that the nation’s "faltering security" is one of three key issues that both Trump and Harris have largely ignored or insufficiently addressed, alongside the growing national debt and the looming bankruptcy of Social Security programs. "America is headed for trouble on multiple fronts," Rove concluded. "Both Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump are whistling past the graveyard."
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