'Chaos and dysfunction': Veteran conservative rips Trump’s 'destructive' agenda

12 June 2024

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters have been claiming that many of the foreign-policy challenges of the Biden era "wouldn't have happened" if he had remained in the White House.

But conservative Washington Post opinion writer Max Boot vehemently disagrees, slamming Trump as "destructive" on foreign policy and arguing that a second Trump term is a recipe for "chaos and dysfunction."

In his June 11 column, Boot describes Biden's "foreign policy record" as mostly "impressive," albeit imperfect.

The Never Trump conservative remains highly critical of the "botched U.S. exit from Afghanistan" under Biden's watch, but he praises Biden's efforts to revitalize the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Boot disputes Trump's claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin never would have invaded Ukraine in 2022 had he been in the White House, noting that Trump "cozied up to Putin at every opportunity."

"Biden is absolutely right to say, as he did in a new Time Magazine interview, that Trump's presidency had 'a significantly diminishing impact on our ability to get things done internationally' by casting doubt on the United States' reliability as a partner," Boot writes. "Biden's own record in restoring U.S. credibility is mixed — in part because the whole world knows Trump could win again — but he is right to tout his foreign policy achievements in that same interview."

The conservative columnist adds, "As he pointed out, 'NATO is considerably stronger than it was when I took office,' not only because European nations have increased their defense spending, but also, because the alliance has expanded to include Finland and Sweden."

Boot worries, however, that voters will be swayed by Trump's claims about his record on foreign policy.

"Trump is better at touting imaginary achievements than Biden is at touting genuine achievements," Boot laments. "I fear that Trump's 'wouldn't have happened' version of recent events could prove effective. The further we get from his presidency, the more voters are likely to forget his actual record of chaos and dysfunction, which did not stop at the water's edge."

Boot continues, "It's imperative we remember what actually happened — not what Trump fantasizes — to avoid a sequel that might be even more dangerous and destructive."

Max Boot's full Washington Post column is available at this link (subscription required).

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