Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he laughs at the term “America First,” an increasingly common phrase heard in the Republican Party regarding U.S. foreign policy that he finds “disorienting.”
Romney said during a interview with MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle” earlier this week that the growing isolationism in the Republican Party is “unimaginable” considering its past leaders such as former presidents Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush and George W. Bush, as well as the Former Arizona Senator John McCain.
Romney argued that the term, popularized by former President Trump, “flows” from talk radio and TV, where “outrageous” things are embraced by the party’s base.
“Many in our party have followed that populist trend, which is, ‘Hey, stop worrying about the rest of the world, just worry about what’s going on here,’” Romney said on MSNBC. “What they are forgetting is that we are connected to the rest of the world, that our economy is connected to the rest of the world. That if we had had that attitude, you know, Germany would have ended up ruling the world, right.”
“We are involved in the world out of self-interest, and I laugh at the phrase ‘America First.’ “I know that usually means isolationism, but in reality, America is putting itself first when we are involved in the world, when we stop bad people.”
Romney, who is a vocal critic of Trump, said the “America First” approach will not maintain a “safe and prosperous” world for US citizens, arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin would continue to march into Europe if it were not completely deterred in Ukraine. .
“Look, if Vladimir Putin goes, not just through Ukraine, but then decides to go to Poland, then we will be involved in a conflict with our sons and daughters going to war,” he said in comments. highlighted by Mediaite. “Or we could abandon NATO, in which case Putin will continue to move forward and forward.”
“How about a world where China and Russia control the world and we have our own little island? This is not a world where Americans will be safe or prosperous,” Romney said. “We will be safe and prosperous when the world follows the orders that have existed for the last 75 years.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
