LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday pushed back against isolationism within his own camp, saying the challenge of deterring America’s adversaries should be the next president’s “top priority” and arguing for maintaining a strong military and supporting allies, especially in war-torn Ukraine.
Speaking to a hometown audience in Kentucky, McConnell spoke in tough terms about foreign policy risks and how the US should respond, evoking President Ronald Reagan’s “peace through strength” motto.
“What are the big challenges ahead?” he said. “I would say it could be worse than World War II. You have an axis of evil — North Korea, China, Russia, Iran and Iranian proxies — talking to each other. What do they have in common? They’re all dictatorships. They hate democracy. And they’re competing with every democracy in the world.”
He said the U.S. response should include presenting a united front with allies and demonstrating a strong defense, which is the best deterrent to adversaries.
“I am convinced that the next war can be prevented by being better prepared,” he said.
These issues should be a priority for the next president, the senator said.
“No matter who wins the presidential election, and I have a preference, of course, this issue needs to be at the forefront,” McConnell said. “This is not charity. This is for our own good, because the democratic world needs leaders, and there is no substitute for American leadership.”
McConnell supports Republican Donald Trump’s return to the White House. His support for Trump a few months ago was a surprising reversal of his stance after he criticized the president for being “morally responsible” for the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
But they differ on America’s role in the world, reflecting a fundamental divide among Republicans over whether to follow Trump’s “America First” approach on foreign affairs or an internationalist view of working resolutely with America’s allies.
Speaking at the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Country Ham Breakfast, a traditional late-summer gathering of political, business and education leaders, McConnell did not mention Trump or his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, by name.
In a brief interview after the speech, McConnell said Trump would win the election in November if he continued to focus on inflation and immigration.
A consummate political strategist, McConnell kept the focus on policy, especially foreign affairs, during his speech. The Kentucky native championed a bill that ultimately won congressional approval to provide arms and other aid to Ukraine to thwart Russian aggression.
He pushed back against Republican opposition to the aid, saying most of the money was being used in the United States “to rebuild our industrial base in preparation for the great challenges ahead and to send old weapons to Ukraine.”
“Russia is going to fail because this is much bigger than the Ukraine-Russia border,” McConnell said. “These are brave people fighting for their independence against one of the biggest enemies in the world. Why on earth would we not help them? This is going to be a big question going forward.”
McConnell later said Republicans who supported aid to Ukraine were not punished by US voters in the primaries.
“I think the American people understand that it’s important to support Ukraine,” he said in an interview. “I think we’re going to continue to do that no matter who’s elected to the White House.”
