The foundation of Ronald Reagan's foreign policy was "peace through strength," and Donald Trump tried to embody that strategy during his four years as president.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Newsmax on Monday that President Joe Biden has shown nothing but weakness in the Oval Office, and that has emboldened adversaries such as Iran on the global stage.
"Biden has been appeasing authoritarian regimes around this planet for, gosh, the entire time that he has been president, so it's no wonder that Iran feels free to embolden Hamas and allow them to move into Israel and this horrific attack," Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told "Rob Schmitt Tonight." "So, we've got some work to do and, unfortunately, I don't see this strength coming out of the White House that we need in order to push back on Iran at this very moment."
Ernst recently returned from Israel as part of a congressional delegation to the Middle East, where she met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She said, "we didn't see the world falling apart under the Trump administration. I truly believe America needs to see peace through strength."
"You must be strong in order to stabilize various regions, and we don't have that strength in the White House right now," said Ernst, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard after 23 years of military service. "We have seen under the Biden administration the fall of Afghanistan because we weren't strong enough. We saw Russia invade Ukraine because we weren't strong enough. We have now seen Israel invaded by these animals, these barbarous animals. They're not even human beings.
"Yet, we see already the White House walking back their statements of support."
The Biden administration, which initially said Israel has a right to defend itself, apparently is seeking to appease progressive Democrats by backing humanitarian aid for residents of the Gaza Strip over the well-being of 199 hostages, including at least 20 Americans, taken by Hamas after its terrorist attack Oct. 7. Israel is planning a ground invasion of Gaza to root out Hamas terrorists and rescue the hostages.
"We need to remain firm when it comes to Israel," Ernst said. "They're a Democratic nation. They're our ally. We need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in unification with the Israelis. We should not have any daylight between the United States and Israel, especially when it comes to the messaging and support."
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