Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) made a compelling argument on Sunday that the U.S. should turn its attention to the Chinese threat and away from the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream noted that the Senate Armed Services Committee released a memo pointing toward the more than 20 other countries contributing to Ukraine’s defense. Vance said this statement only proves the reality of the disparity between Russia and Ukraine.
If European contributions increase by the end of the year and Moscow’s forces remain roughly the same, “then Russia will still have a 3-to-1 advantage over the Ukrainians,” Vance explained.
JD Vance: “Why are Americans subsidizing European security? We should be focused on our own problems, and that’s mostly China.”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 28, 2024
While the Republican expressed admiration for Kyiv’s resolve, he declared Washington simply does not have the resources to pour into numerous wars. Instead, it must “pick and choose.”
Besides Ukraine, there’s Israel’s war on Hamas terrorists and the potential for conflict in Asia if China invades Taiwan. Vance said that some of the same “leaders” who shifted the U.S. manufacturing base to China now claim the country may be involved in three simultaneous wars.
Instead of focusing on Europe’s defense, the senator asserted the U.S. should turn its attention to “our own problems, and that’s mostly China.”
Vance’s argument is one that has common ground with the American people. A revealing Pew Research study conducted last year showed an overwhelming number of respondents consider China as the nation’s primary enemy.
The open-ended question asked which country is the greatest threat to the U.S. A full 50% declared that nation to be China, almost three times the number who cited Russia (17%).
Vance on Sunday appeared to have his finger on the pulse of how most Americans view the world. He asked if China will be more impressed by U.S. actions in Europe or by building defenses to protect its interests in Taiwan.
The senator concluded, “My argument is the Chinese are focused on real power. They’re not focused on how tough people talk on TV or how strong our alleged resolve is. They’re focused on how strong we actually are.”
And under President Joe Biden, Vance argued that the U.S. is stretched very thin on the world stage.
Europe can handle Putin, the senator stated. “Let us focus on China.”
