Current:Home > MarketsRFK Jr. offers foreign policy views on Ukraine, Israel, vows to halve military spending -Aspire Money Growth
RFK Jr. offers foreign policy views on Ukraine, Israel, vows to halve military spending
View
Date:2025-04-17 10:39:00
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed Wednesday that if elected president, he'd slash the military budget by half.
"I will push for [a] 50% reduction in military expenditures in my first four years in office, with more cuts to come thereafter," Kennedy said. "A way to keep the dollar strong is to keep the country strong. We can do that by redirecting our bloated military budget toward infrastructure, education and health and building our economy and building small business"
Speaking the day before President Biden signed a security agreement with Ukraine, Kennedy told voters in Yorba Linda, Calif., that U.S. foreign policy has been based on the "delusion" that American intervention abroad will uphold democracy.
Citing billion-dollar aid packages that have been approved for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, Kennedy said he wants to roll back defense spending to the levels last seen under President Eisenhower. Seizing on the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953, Eisenhower believed he had an opening to avert an arms war with Russia and thought dramatically cutting defense spending would aid the cause. He did avoid major conflicts, but the Cold War still intensified during his presidency.
Kennedy also faulted the U.S. for — in his view — escalating conflict abroad over the past few decades. He has previously said he does not support more military aid for Ukraine, though he stands by Israel, calling the Russia-Ukraine conflict a "war of choice" and the Israel-Hamas conflict a "moral war."
"We created ISIS," Kennedy told voters Wednesday night, referring to the brutal terrorist group that grew out of the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq and spread across the Middle East in 2014. "We drove four million immigrants up into Europe and destabilized all the Western democracies of Europe for generations."
Kennedy suggested that the U.S. take a page out of China's book. He said the country has emerged as a world superpower by using its budget more effectively, investing in infrastructure and businesses in places like Africa and South America, rather than beefing up its military presence.
"They spent $8 trillion on bridges, roads, airports and schools and hospitals," Kennedy said. "Our forever wars made us enemies across the globe — left us bankrupt at home. China's investments, in contrast, made friends across the globe and brought it influence in every corner of the Earth."
Where does Kennedy stand on Ukraine?
Kennedy has rejected any U.S. involvement in Ukraine, including sending military aid, and told reporters at a campaign rally on Long Island in late April that he blames Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for issuing a decree making it "illegal in Ukraine to negotiate with President Putin."
"[Putin] does not know what dignity and honesty are. Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia," Zelenskyy said in October 2022, after Putin annexed four Ukrainian territories, which world leaders condemned as an illegal land grab.
In an interview with Twins Pod in early April, Kennedy seemed to praise the Russian leader for what in his view were the Russian leader's pacifist intentions, "Putin said, 'Look I don't want to go into Crimea. Let's negotiate a peace.'"
Two years ago, Putin undertook an invasion of Ukraine to keep it from making common cause with western democracies, thereby posing a threat to his rule in Russia.
Kennedy has also repeated the Russian president's claims that he undertook the invasion to keep NATO out of Ukraine and "de-Nazify" the country.
Mr. Biden has likened Putin's invasion of Ukraine to Hitler's Nazi forces invading other European nations. On Thursday, the leaders of the Group of Seven nations agreed to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan amid the ongoing war.
Where does Kennedy stand on Israel?
Kennedy has been a staunch supporter of Israel, often telling reporters that he believes Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas following the massacre that took place on Oct. 7, 2023. Though the U.S. and western powers have called for restraint from Israel when attacking the Gaza Strip, Kennedy told Reuters that a cease-fire would only allow Hamas to rearm.
Kennedy's running mate, Nicole Shanahan, said she disagrees with the independent candidate on this front. Israel's response to Hamas' attack is a topic that leads to "heated debate" between the two, Shanahan said during a podcast last week with host Glenn Greenwald.
"And what I see right now happening on the ground in Gaza, is devastating. I think that, you know, there's arguments to be made, that we're long past the point of a cease-fire," Shanahan said. "I think there's lots of arguments to be made that Israel should be showing more restraint."
- In:
- Israel
- Ukraine
- Foreign Policy
- RFK Jr.
- Defense Department
- 2024 Elections
Allison Novelo is a 2024 campaign reporter for CBS News.
TwitterveryGood! (28594)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword, I Will Turn This Car Around!
- Why does Vermont keep flooding? It’s complicated, but experts warn it could become the norm
- Texas radio host’s lover sentenced to life for role in bilking listeners of millions
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- How two strikes on militant leaders in the Middle East could escalate into a regional war
- Utah congressional candidate contests election results in state Supreme Court as recount begins
- Montana education leaders take stock of changes to school quality requirements
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Harris to eulogize longtime US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas at funeral service
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Feds arrest ex-US Green Beret in connection to failed 2020 raid of Venezuela to remove Maduro
- Who Is Henrik Christiansen? Meet the Olympic Swimmer Obsessed With Chocolate Muffins
- 'Black Swan murder trial' verdict: Ashley Benefield found guilty of manslaughter
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Scholarships help Lahaina graduates afford to attend college outside Hawaii a year after wildfire
- Milwaukee man gets 11 years for causing crash during a police chase which flipped over a school bus
- Deion Sanders' son Shilo accused of trying to 'avoid responsibility' in bankruptcy case
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
2024 Olympics: Simone Biles Has the Perfect Response to Criticism Over Her Hair
In an attempt to reverse the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, Schumer introduces the No Kings Act
Dunkin' debuts new iced coffee drinks in collaboration with celebrity chef Nick DiGiovanni
IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
Colorado clerk who became hero to election conspiracists set to go on trial for voting system breach
The Best Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2024 Skincare Deals: Save Up to 56% on Kiehl's, OSEA, La Mer & More
2024 Olympics: Tennis' Danielle Collins Has Tense Interaction With Iga Swiatek After Retiring From Match