On Friday’s broadcast of “CNN NewsNight,” 2024 presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) said that “The entire world has lost a lot of respect for the United States” under Joe Biden and pointed to the “unmitigated debacle” in Afghanistan, and the failure to enforce the red line in Syria and prevent Vladimir Putin from taking Crimea when Biden was Vice President.
Phillips said, “I think it was very appropriate that the President of the United States initiated action” by striking the Houthis, and “The entire world has lost a lot of respect for the United States. They don’t think we mean business. They don’t think that we will actually meet force with force, and I think it was important that we send a message, because Iran is destabilizing the Middle East and the entire world and the Houthis are simply their proxy. So, the answer is yes, I do support the administration, and I think that was a job well done. And sadly, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of this yet, and it’s going to be very, very delicate to ensure that this conflict does not spin out of control, which is what I think Iran wants.”
Host Abby Phillip then asked, “You said the world has lost confidence of the American — that America means what it says. Do you blame President Biden for that?”
Phillips responded, “Well, we drew the red line in Syria, I believe, when he was Vice President. We allowed Vladimir Putin to just walk into Crimea and take it when he was Vice President. The Afghanistan withdrawal was an unmitigated debacle that lost a lot of credibility [with] our allies around the world and certainly, Afghans who supported our effort. And yes, we have lost a lot of esteem, the United States of America. And that’s why I think it’s time for new leadership. It’s time to pass the torch. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are leaders of the past that the country wants to turn the page from.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
