Sunday Political Talk Show interviews during 2020-2024: on Foreign Policy
Bernie Sanders:
Russia has been clear about keeping Ukraine out of NATO
Russia sees the threat of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), a military alliance originally created in 1949 to confront the Soviet Union. It is good to know some history. When Ukraine became independent after the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991, Russian leaders made clear their concerns about the prospect of former Soviet states becoming part of NATO and positioning hostile military forces along Russia's border. US leaders recognized these concerns as legitimate at the time.
They are still legitimate concerns. Invasion by Russia is not an answer; neither is intransigence by NATO. It is also important to recognize that Finland, one of the most developed and democratic countries in the world, borders Russia and has chosen not
to be a member of NATO.Putin may be a liar and a demagogue, but it is hypocritical for the US to insist that we do not accept the principle of "spheres of influence" [which Putin claims as the rationale for keeping Ukraine out of NATO].
Source: The Guardian on 2024 Presidential Hopefuls
Feb 8, 2022
Ro Khanna:
We need India as an ally ultimately to contain China
I've been the vice chair of the U.S. India Caucus. First, India should condemn in the U.N. Putin for the blatant human rights violations. Second, they need to realize they have to pick sides. We, the United States, were with them when China invaded
India. Putin wasn't there. And it's time for them to buy weapons from the United States, not Russia. We've got to look at how we can facilitate that and make that easier. We need India as an ally ultimately to contain China.
Source: Fox News Sunday on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Mar 27, 2022
Vivek Ramaswamy:
Defend Taiwan by giving the Taiwanese people guns
Ramaswamy is convinced that he has figured out a way to stop China from invading Taiwan: Give the Taiwanese people guns. "You want China not to invade Taiwan? Here is something we can do: The NRA can open its branch next time in Taiwan," Mr.
Ramaswamy said. "And you want to stop [Chinese President] Xi Jinping from invading Taiwan, put a gun in every Taiwanese household, have them defend themselves, let's see what Xi Jinping does then. That is what it means to be an actual American."
Source: Washington Times on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Apr 14, 2023
Cornel West:
Pro-Palestinians are accused of being anti-Semitic or naive
If you are fundamentally identified with the Palestinian cause, not in a way of putting Jews down but in a way of hating occupations, in a way of loathing domination there is a certain kind of consensus that it's a taboo issue, and somehow to raise
the issue means you're either anti-Semitic or don't understand the complexities of the Middle East, or all the different rationalizations that lose sight of the humanity of Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Source: The New Yorker magazine on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Mar 9, 2022
Vivek Ramaswamy:
Shift focus from NATO to PATO, for Pacific/Asian security
[In discussing NATO and Ukraine, Ramaswamy says the US might] "stop paying for the security infrastructure of Europe and revisit the purpose of NATO itself. I see a more pressing need for PATO, the Pacific American Treaty Organization, than I see for
NATO, to actually rise to the occasion of the threat that we see in the 21st century," referencing China.He would seek to form that alliance with South Korea, Japan, India, Australia and "much of Southeast Asia" to push back on Beijing. "I think
there's a world in which Russia even plays a role with that," he said.
The idea of an "Asian NATO" has been around for years, though as of now there's no real movement to create one. The entrepreneur's ultimate vision is one of a "trilateral order"
where the top three powers are the U.S., China and Russia. The key, he argues, is severing ties between Moscow and Beijing to eliminate that support for Xi's government.
Source: Politico.com on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Jun 8, 2023
Tim Walz:
Taught school in China; speaks Mandarin
- He spent a year teaching in China after college before returning full time to the Army. He traveled to China with one of the first government-sanctioned groups of American educators to teach in Chinese high schools.
- He still speaks Mandarin.
- Both worked at Mankato West High School. "Gwen loved living in southern Minnesota. We jumped at the chance to move to Mankato and start our lives together."
- Walz taught geography and coached high school football. "I don't know if every
high school geography teacher expects to be in this position at some point."
- He was the faculty adviser for the school's first gay-straight alliance chapter in 1999.
-
Walz, 60, has drawn criticism for appearing older than his age. Walz responded to this on X, saying that it's because he "supervised the lunchroom for 20 years. You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me."
Source: Politico.com on 2024 Vice Presidential hopefuls
Aug 6, 2024
Nikki Haley:
Put the sanctions back on Iran; don't renew nuclear deal
So let's go back to what started it. What started it was, first of all, he never should have fallen all over himself to get back into the Iran deal. By doing that, he lifted the sanctions. All the money flowed to all of the terrorist proxies around the
region. And now we're paying the price of that. And so you look at what's happened now, first of all, I think he should have done something sooner. But first, Dana, first and foremost, put the sanctions back on. You have got to put the sanctions back on.
Source: CNN SOTU interview on 2024 Presidential Hopefuls
Feb 4, 2024
Donald Trump:
China thinks we're a stupid country, a very stupid country
China thinks we're a stupid country, a very stupid country. They can't believe that somebody finally got wise to them. Not one president--Bush, Obama, Barack Hussein Obama--have you heard of him? Not one president--not--think of it.
Not one president charged China anything. They said, oh, they are a third-world nation, they are a developing--well, we're a developing nation too.
Take a look at Detroit. Take a look at our cities.
We're a developing nation. We have to develop more than they do. We're way behind them. You take a look at what's happened to our cities.
Source: Chicago Economic Club transcript: 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Oct 16, 2024
Donald Trump:
Russia never had a president that they respect so much
Q: Can you say yes or no, whether you have talked to Vladimir Putin since you stopped being president?TRUMP: Well, I don't comment on that, but I will tell you that. If I did, it's a smart thing.
If I'm friendly with people, if I can have a relationship with people, that's a good thing, not a bad thing, in terms of a country.
He's got 2,000 nuclear weapons, and so do we. China has a lot less, but they'll catch us within five years. Russia never had a president that they respect so much, but more importantly, or less importantly,
I guess, I went into Russia, and people said, oh, he likes Putin, and Putin likes him.
Source: Chicago Economic Club transcript: 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Oct 16, 2024
Kamala Harris:
Trump admires dictators while they manipulate him full time
HOWARD STERN: What did you think of this thing that just came out today that Bob Woodward's book was saying that Trump was sending COVID tests to Putin and Putin said, "don't let anyone know." What do you make of that?KAMALA HARRIS: I believe that
Donald Trump has this desire to be a dictator. He admires strong men and he gets played by them, because he thinks that they're his friends and they are manipulating him full time--and manipulating him by flattery and with favor.
And so in the midst, to your point, as reported by Bob Woodward, in the height of the pandemic, and remember, people were dying by the hundreds. Everybody was scrambling to get these kits, the tests, the COVID test kits.
Couldn't get them anywhere.
HOWARD STERN: Right.
KAMALA HARRIS: And this guy who is president of the United States is sending them to Russia, to a murderous dictator for his personal use.
Source: Howard Stern Show interview of 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Oct 10, 2024
Kamala Harris:
America is so important to the rest of the world
Wherever I go around the country, I try to visit small businesses. I'm telling you, Howard, around our country, all these people who are innovative, ambitious, they are optimistic. They are building. They are creating.
They are obviously contributing to our economy. Like we have this is the spirit of the American people. We are ambitious and we are aspirational.
America is so important to the rest of the world. We are so important to the rest of the world. We are a role model for what it means to be a democracy so we can look at other countries and our allies and our adversaries and say,
these are the principles that must be upheld. And while we uphold these principles, we will also be the strongest economy in the world. We will have the most lethal fighting force in the world. All these things coexist.
Source: Howard Stern Show interview of 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Oct 10, 2024
Kamala Harris:
We must forever be a champion of liberty around the world
I know that our alliances keep American people safe and make America stronger and more secure. Look, world leaders think that Donald Trump is an easy mark, easy to manipulate with flattery or favor. And you can believe that autocrats like
Putin and Kim Jong un are rooting for him in this election. I will always uphold our security, advance our national interest, and ensure that the United States of America remains as we must forever be a champion of liberty around the world.
Source: 2024 Presidential hopefuls: Rally on the Ellipse
Oct 30, 2024
Page last updated: Nov 03, 2024