Former Vice President Mike Pence recently addressed statements made by Vivek Ramaswamy regarding Israel.
Both GOP presidential candidates are in a race to break out and become serious challengers to frontrunner former President Donald Trump.
Ramaswamy made headlines several weeks ago when he noted he would significantly decrease financial aid to Israel by the end of his first term as president. GOP candidates Nikki Haley and Mike Pence criticized the statement as naïve and detrimental to stability in the Middle East.
Regarding Ramaswamy’s plan to decrease aid to Israel, Pence said that Ramaswamy has no clear foreign policy plan, saying, “He goes one direction, then goes back another direction.”
Fox News reported that Pence made the remarks during an interview with Fox News host Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.”
During the interview, Fox host Shannon Bream noted that Ramaswamy previously noted the threat Iran poses and the importance of supporting Israel. Bream played a clip showing Ramaswamy saying:
“I’ve been crystal clear that it is a vital U.S. interest to make sure that Iran never comes anywhere close to a nuclear weapon. We have to work with Israel to make sure that happens, and, yes, I have said that we would back Israel fully militarily. But I’ve also said that I don’t want our sons and daughters – U.S. troops – to die in that conflict.”
Ramaswamy’s comments on Israel have raised eyebrows in conservative circles. Analysts have noted the dichotomy in Ramaswamy’s statements, pointing out the fluctuations in his viewpoints.
Ramaswamy’s comments come amid a turbulent period in Middle Eastern geopolitics. They highlight the broader complexities surrounding the U.S.-Israel relationship and the myriad of foreign policy challenges the nation currently faces.
Pence touted his experience in the first debate, and during the interview on “Fox News Sunday” said that Ramaswamy was “just wrong on foreign policy.”
Criticizing Ramaswamy’s position on foreign affairs, the former vice president said he had “a problem” with Ramaswamy’s foreign policy positions. I do not have a problem with Vivek, noted Pence, but believe “he’s just wrong on foreign policy,” Pence said.
“Candidly, this is a bit of a pattern for Vivek, he kind of goes one direction, then goes back another direction,” Pence added. “I don’t know how we fully back and then say that there’s a limit to what our military involvement would be defending Israel in an attack by Iran.”
According to The Daily Wire, this isn’t the first time Ramaswamy’s comments on foreign policy have come under scrutiny.
Many conservatives argue it’s essential to prioritize Israel in broader discussions of foreign policy and international relations. A strong alliance with Israel, many on the right argue, remains paramount in navigating the multifaceted challenges of the Middle East.
Mike Pence and others have warned that Ramaswamy’s announced policy regarding moving away from supporting Israel could negatively impact U.S. geopolitical interests.
According to a GOP Election Poll Tracker, Pence is polling at 6% and Ramaswamy is polling at 10%.
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