Compare Trump and Harris' positions on military support

There are similarities between former President Donald Trump and President Biden when it comes to the armed forces' long-term strategy, but as the 2024 election approaches, stark differences between Harris's and Biden's views Trump on the role of the military have emerged.

Trump, having been commander in chief, has a political record and views on the military. But former advisers he clashed with during his presidency have warned that a second Trump administration could be very different from the first.

Harris doesn't have much in his background that informs his view of the role of the military on active duty. But it is likely that a Harris administration would follow the standards of previous presidents and President Biden's National Defense Strategy.

The Ukrainian conflict

The Biden-Harris administration has pledged to support Ukraine with military assistance, but has set limits on deploying U.S. troops on the ground.

Trump, on the campaign trail, said Putin would never have invaded Ukraine while he was president and claimed, without providing a plan, that he could end the war in a day.

NATO

Harris, at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, reaffirmed the United States' commitment to NATO. Under Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, an attack on a NATO member country would be considered an attack on all NATO countries, and each country would contribute to the collective defense of the alliance – including through the use of armed force. Under the Biden-Harris administration, NATO welcomed two more members – Finland and Sweden – into the alliance.

As president, Trump criticized NATO members for not paying more for their own defense, and since then, more NATO countries have made progress toward meeting the 2 percent goal. of GDP that NATO had set for itself in 2014. During the February election campaign, he declared: “Russia could do what they want” if NATO members do not pay more for their own defense.

Israel and the Middle East

Harris called the U.S.-Israel relationship an important alliance, but also said Israel must do more to avoid civilian casualties during its operations. The Biden administration at one point suspended a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs, warning that it would not provide weapons for an offensive in Rafah, but it continued to ship other weapons.

Trump, who describes himself as “a protector” of Israel, has also called for a quick end to the Israel-Gaza conflict, saying in October: “I will support Israel's right to win its war on terrorism, and it must win it quickly. ”

China

Mr. Biden said the United States would come to Taiwan's aid in the event of a Chinese invasion, but Harris, in an interview with “60 Minutes,” stuck to the official U.S. policy of “strategic ambiguity.” “. She said it was important to support Taiwan's ability to defend itself.

Trump sidestepped the question of whether the United States would come to Taiwan's aid in the event of a Chinese invasion. In an interview earlier this year, he said Taiwan should pay the United States more for help in its defense.

Trump and the “enemy within”

The primary role of the U.S. military is to defend the country against external threats, but during his campaign, Trump suggested he might try deploying the military against his political opponents at home.

In October, Trump said in an interview that on Election Day there would be threats that “come from the people within.”

“We have sick, crazy radical left people. And I think they are – and this should be very easily handled by – if necessary, by the National Guard, or if it's really necessary, by the military , because they can't let this happen,” Trump told Fox News in mid-October.

Since Trump made the remarks, John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general and Trump's former chief of staff, has spoken out about interactions he had with Trump that raised concerns that the former president , if re-elected, can govern like a dictator.

Kelly told the New York Times in October: “This issue of using the military against – to go after – American citizens is one of those things that I think is a very, very bad thing – even to say it for political purposes to get elected – I think that's a very, very bad thing, let alone doing it.” He also told the Times that Trump fits the definition of a fascist.

Trump and his campaign have denied Kelly's accounts.

In 2020, during nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd, Trump threatened to use military force against protesters. “If any city or state refuses to take the necessary steps to defend the lives and property of its residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” Trump said. After the riots in Washington, D.C., he declared: “I am sending thousands and thousands of heavily armed troops, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, the looting, the vandalism , attacks and wanton destruction of property. »

Then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Trump wanted to send 10,000 active-duty troops to confront protesters in Washington. In May 2022, Esper told “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O'Donnell that during a June 2020 meeting about rioters, Trump said, “'Can't you shoot them? Shoot -just in their legs or something.'” Esper said Trump was “suggesting that this is what we should do, that we should bring in the troops and shoot the protesters.” (Trump called Esper's claims a “complete lie.”)

Esper said in a statement after the meeting with Trump that he did not support the use of the Insurrection Act, the use of active duty forces in a law enforcement role. Days after the 2020 election, Trump fired him.

Harris condemns the use of the army in his country

Harris condemned the idea of ​​using military force domestically.

She pointed to Trump's comments about the US military's handling of the “enemy within” as one reason she believes a “second Trump term would be a huge risk for America – and dangerous “.

The Biden administration, like the Trump administration and previous administrations of both parties, has used the National Guard and a small number of active-duty troops at the southern border to support Customs and Border Protection.

What is Donald Trump's view on the military?

During his administration, Trump's National Defense Strategy identified Russia and China as the greatest threats to U.S. national defense.

But that strategy was written by Trump's defense secretary and retired Gen. James Mattis. Mattis entered the Trump administration in 2017 and was fired before the end of Trump's presidency.

Trump told Fox News: “The enemy within, in my opinion, is more dangerous than China, Russia and all those countries, because if you have a smart president, he can deal with them pretty easily. »

During his election campaign, Trump both acknowledged the long-term goals of China and Russia, while praising the authoritarian leaders of those two countries.

At a rally in March, Trump called Chinese President Xi Jinping “smart” and said he was “at the top of his game.” He also called Russian President Vladimir Putin “intelligent” and said both men were “very intelligent people discussing the world order for the next 100 years.”

During his presidency, Trump appeared to side with Putin over the US intelligence community, which believed that Russia had attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. “Dan Coats came to me, as well as others, they told me they thought it was Russia,” Trump said in a 2018 press conference after his meeting with Putin. “I have President Putin, he just said it's not Russia. I will say this, I don't see any reason why that would be the case.” He later said he had misspoke.

What is Kamala Harris' view on the military?

The national defense strategy under the Biden administration does not deviate much from that of Trump. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin identified China as “the quickest challenge” — or the threat the Defense Department faces in the long term — and Russia as “the acute challenge,” or the threat which could cause problems in the short term.

Harris was vice president when the strategy was drafted, and Austin told reporters earlier this year that Harris was “a key player.”

“Having seen her provide input into some very complex decision-making processes, she's always prepared, she always provides meaningful and very helpful input,” Austin said at a news conference in July. “The president is the major player in the process, but she is a key player,”

In an interview with “60 Minutes,” Harris was asked which country was the United States' greatest adversary.

“I think one that is obvious to mind is Iran,” she said.

Amid the Middle East conflict, recent weeks have seen Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen – both proxies for Iran – launch missiles, rockets and drones against Israel, and militias backed by the Iran fires on US troops stationed in Iraq and Syria. In response, the United States carried out airstrikes against Iranian weapons facilities in Syria. The United States also deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the region.

More from Eleanor Watson

Eleanor Watson is a CBS News multi-platform reporter and producer covering the Pentagon.

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