LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Seeking to combat isolationism within his own ranks, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that the challenge of deterring America’s adversaries “should be at the forefront” of the next president’s mind. He called for maintaining a strong military and support for allies, particularly in war-torn Ukraine.
In his home state address to Kentucky, McConnell invoked Ronald Reagan’s mantra of “peace through strength” as he spoke in no uncertain terms about foreign policy risks and how the U.S. should respond to them.
“What is the big challenge that lies ahead of us?” he said. “You could argue that it is a situation that is potentially more challenging than World War II. You have an axis of evil — North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, and Iran’s vassals — all talking to each other. What do they have in common? They are all authoritarian regimes. They hate democracy. And they are competing with every democratic country in the world.”
The American response, he said, should consist of forming a united front with allies, along with a robust defense that he called the best deterrent against adversaries.
“I am convinced that we can prevent the next war by being better prepared for it,” he said.
These challenges should be a priority for the next occupant of the Oval Office, the senator said.
“No matter who wins the presidential election, and I clearly have a preference, … this issue has to be front and center,” McConnell said. “And this is not about charity. This is not charity. This is in our own self-interest, because the democratic world needs a leader, and there is no one who can replace the American leader.”
McConnell is backing Republican Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House. His endorsement of Trump months ago was a notable turnaround after he criticized him as “morally responsible” for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
But the two men differ on the U.S. role in the world, reflecting a fundamental struggle among Republicans over whether to follow Trump’s “America First” doctrine on foreign affairs or adopt an internationalist vision of standing firmly behind U.S. allies.
McConnell did not mention Trump or her Democratic rival Kamala Harris by name at the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s ham breakfast, an end-of-summer tradition that draws leaders from politics, business and education.
In a brief interview after his speech, McConnell said that if Trump continues to focus on inflation and immigration, he will win in November.
McConnell, the consummate political strategist, kept his focus on policy, particularly foreign affairs, in his speech. The Kentuckian championed legislation that eventually won Congressional approval to provide Ukraine with weapons and other aid to repel the Russian invasion.
He pushed back against Republican opposition to the aid, noting that most of the money is being spent in the U.S., “as we retool our industrial base for the great challenges ahead and send the older weapons to Ukraine.”
“The Russians have to fail, because this is much bigger than the border between Ukraine and Russia,” McConnell said. “These are brave people fighting for their independence against one of our greatest adversaries in the world. Why on earth would we not want to help them? This is a big problem for the future.”
McConnell said afterward that Republican lawmakers who supported aid to Ukraine were not punished by voters back home during their primaries.
“I think the American people understand that it’s important to support Ukraine,” he said in the interview. “And I think we’ll continue to do that regardless of who’s elected to the White House.”
