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Donald TrumpBorn in 1946, Donald Trump graduated with a B.A. from Wharton School of Business in 1968 and assumed control of his family's real estate organization in 1971. He has also owned a large number of other businesses over the years. After several previous runs, Trump was elected President of the United States in 2016 and inaugurated in 2017.
Campaign Website - donaldjtrump.com |
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Military Assistance to Ukraine
Trump's position on sending military aid to Ukraine is unclear. He has not provided a straight answer when asked whether he would continue to provide military aid, instead declaring that he would end the war “within 24 hours.”
Statement on Campaign Website, February 1, 2023
“If I were president, the Russia-Ukraine War would never have happened. Never in a million years. But even now, if I were president, I’d be able to negotiate an end to this horrible and rapidly escalating war in 24 hours."
"When I’m president, we will be a strong country again. People will never be playing these games like they’ve been doing to the United States of America. They don’t respect us anymore. They respected us greatly two and a half years ago. They don’t respect us anymore.”
We will restore peace through strength. And by the way, Europe has to pay. They have to equalize with us. We're into Ukraine for $200 billion in Europe's in there for about $20 billion, and it affects them much more than it affects us.
Agenda47: Rebuilding America’s Depleted Military on Campaign Website, July 18, 2023
“In a period of less than one week, Joe Biden accidentally admitted that we're sending cluster bombs to Ukraine because the United States is running out of ammunition. I don't know how that works, but that's what he said. Then he called up reserve forces to ship them to Europe, proving that we are running out of troops. And that's also a fact.
...All you have to do is take a look at how much China, how much Ukraine have paid the Biden family. It's a total disgrace and a very dangerous one. Under these circumstances, the notion that we would even consider admitting Ukraine into NATO at this time is completely unhinged. Joe Biden can't even walk up a flight of stairs on Air Force One and he can't put two sentences together. The last thing that this incompetent administration should be doing is risking war with a nuclear armed Russia or China or other countries. We have somebody that doesn't have a clue representing us.
When I'm back in the White House, on Day One, we are returning to a foreign policy that puts America's interests first. America's chief interest in Eastern Europe is peace and stability. We want people to stop dying. This war should never have happened, but it is long past time to end the senseless death and destruction. The numbers are much worse than you're reading about or hearing about or than they're telling you.
…In addition, I will ask Europe to reimburse us for the cost of rebuilding the stockpiles sent to Ukraine, which they should be doing now but Joe Biden is too weak and too disrespected to even ask. The fact is that we've spent almost $200 billion in helping Ukraine and Europe has spent just a tiny fraction of that amount.”
Statement on Campaign Website, March 31, 2023
“...Under my administration, we were tough on Russia — tougher than any administration before — but we also demonstrated RESPECT for Russia and the Russian people. We demonstrated understanding for Russian history, and the fact that Russia lost over 20 million lives in World War II. They were fighting with us.
This kind of neo-con rhetoric, mocking Russia’s nuclear weapons, along with implying that Putin must be tried and presumably executed as a WAR CRIMINAL, only increases the chance of deadly nuclear escalation. Fundamentally, it shows a lack of depth, a lack of seriousness, and a lack of sophistication on the subtleties and complexities of foreign policy. You can’t do certain things and end up with peace..."
Arms to Israel
Trump appears to support on sending arms to Israel. He has said he will stand strong with Israel.
“So you have a war that's going on and you're probably going to have to let this play out. You're probably going to have to let it play out because a lot of people are dying. There is no hatred like the Palestinian hatred of Israel and Jewish people. And probably the other way around also I don't know. You know, it's not as obvious, but probably that's it.”
Statement at Campaign rally in New Hampshire, October 10, 2023
"As president, I will once again stand strongly with the state of Israel and we will cut off the money to the terrorists on day one and reimpose the travel ban on terror afflicted countries.
...Israel would not now be under attack. Zero chance. These are things 100%. Ukraine would not be under attack by Russia. Zero chance."
“The terror evasion of Israeli territory and the murder of Israeli soldiers and citizens is an act of savagery that must be and will be crushed. Israel's at war and the United States has to support Israel, we have to support Israel. There's been no better president for Israel than me and nobody loves Israel more than the Evangelical Christians. I will tell you that this war happened for two reasons. The United States giving Iran $6 billion.
…I predicted war in Israel immediately after the was announced that Joe Biden gave the $6 billion to Iran. They got so much money that this time Israel and the United States need a very strong partnership and leadership. You got to have strong leaders. If you don't have strong leaders it doesn't matter how many army tanks you have in addition to the billions of dollars given to Hamas top funder Iran. Joe Biden restored hundreds of millions of dollars to the very corrupt Palestinian entities. He gave them hundreds of millions of dollars. Many people didn't even know it wonder what deal he made. Joe Biden betrayed Israel, he betrayed our country. As president I will once again stand with Israel and we will cut off the money to Palestinian terrorists on day one we'll cut it off on day one.
Arms to Saudi Arabia
Trump is expected to support arms for Saudi Arabia.* During the first months of presidency, he announced more than $110 billion is arms sales to the county. (* We have not identified a specific stance on this topic since his presidency.)
See resource page on Trump arms sales to Saudi Arabia, as well as note and statement on 2017 arms deal .
Arms to Taiwan
Trump is expected to support arms for Taiwan. During his presidency, his administration notified Congress of more than $18 billion in potential foreign military sales to Taiwan. * We have not identified a specific stance on this topic since his presidency.
During the Trump administration, more than $18 billion in Foreign Military Sales notifications were providing to Congress, including $8 billion for 66 F-16s. See resource page.
"I don't want to say it because if I'm in the position of President. I don't want to say what I'm thinking. You know if I answer that question it'll put me in a very bad negotiating position. With that being said, Taiwan did take all of our chip business. You know we used to make our own chips. Now they're made in Taiwan. Ninety of the advanced semiconductor chips, ninety percent goes in there. They'll be able to turn the world on and off. Isn't that right? If China takes Taiwan, they will turn the world off potentially. I mean potentially. But remember this. Taiwan smart brilliant they took our business away. We should have stopped them. We should have taxed them. We should have tariffed them."
Military intervention across Mexican border
Trump appears to be in favor using U.S. military forces across the border in Mexico. He has said he would defeat the cartels using the same means as defeating ISIS.
Policy video on Campaign website, January 5, 2023
"The drug cartels are waging war on America—and it’s now time for America to wage war on the cartels....
When I am President, it will be the policy of the United States to take down the cartels just as we took down ISIS and the ISIS caliphate — and just as, unlike the situation we are in today, we had a very very strong border. The strongest border in fact in the history of our country. And drugs were at a low of 45 years. There’s been nothing like what we did just two years ago. We will show NO MERCY to the cartels.
Every day, drug traffickers are using the waters of our region to ship their lethal poisons to America killing so many of our people and ruining families. In addition to restoring strong border security, I will deploy all necessary military assets, including the U.S. Navy, to impose the full naval embargo on the cartels. I did that before and it worked — what we did was incredible. We will guarantee that the waters of the western hemisphere are not used to traffic illicit drugs to our country.
Furthermore, I will order the Department of Defense to make appropriate use of special forces, cyber warfare, and other overt and covert actions to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership, infrastructure, and operations."
War on the drug cartels issue section - Campaign website
He will impose a total naval embargo on cartels, order the Department of Defense to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership and operations, designate cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and choke off their access to the global financial system.
Agenda47: President Donald J. Trump Declares War on Cartels on Campaign Website, January 5, 2023
TRUMP ACTION PLAN TO DESTROY THE DRUG CARTELS:
- Restore all Trump border policies and fully secure border
- Deploy all necessary military assets, including the U.S. Navy, to impose a full naval embargo on the cartels, to ensure they cannot use our region’s waters to traffic illicit drugs to the U.S.
- Order the Department of Defense to make appropriate use of special forces, cyber warfare, and other covert and overt actions to inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership, infrastructure, and operations
- Designate the major drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations
- Cut off the cartels’ access to the global financial system
- Get full cooperation of neighboring governments to dismantle the cartels, or else fully expose the bribes and corruption that protect these criminal networks
- Ask Congress to ensure drug smugglers and traffickers can receive the Death Penalty
Arms Trade Treaty
Trump is opposed to the Arms Trade Treaty. He renounced the treaty as President and has continued to call it a disaster.
Remarks, NRA Leadership Forum [14:35], April 14, 2023
Remarks, NRA Leadership Forum [14:35], April 14, 2023
“Standing here before you at the NRA Leadership Forum in 2019, I revoked America’s signature from the globalists United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which was a disaster. I never surrendered to the globalist left.”
See also resource page on "unsigning" the treaty in 2019.