Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) outlined his foreign policy vision Monday at the Hudson Institute, setting the stage for the second Trump administration’s approach to national defense.
“Our actions here in America will continue to determine the path of the free world,” Johnson said. “While democracy is not perfect, the burden of self-government is certainly far lighter than the yoke of tyranny. But right now, absent American leadership, we’re looking at a future that could be well-defined by communism and tyranny, rather than liberty and opportunity and security.
“In Europe, Putin has made it clear that his plans don’t stop with Ukraine. He’s likened himself to Tsar Peter the Great, and you can read his essay about restoring the Russian Empire, an empire that would include our military partners in Vilnius, Helsinki, and Warsaw. Xi Jinping made abundantly clear he’s interested in expanding his communist footholds, including in the South China Sea. In the Middle East, the ayatollah wants to resurrect the caliphate and eliminate Israel.”
Johnson warned of the “China-led axis, composed of partner regimes in Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and even Cuba.” He said they “each have their own cultures and their own specific sinister aims, but they all wake up every morning thinking how they can take down America. And they’re increasingly using their collective military, technological, and financial resources to empower one another.”
In a time when many on the Right have taken isolationist stances on foreign policy, Johnson stood up for the old Republican consensus of peace through strength. This is an important and courageous position for Johnson to take as the party drifts away from it.
While some Republicans have criticized President Joe Biden for being too active on the world stage, Johnson argued in the opposite direction — that Biden’s foreign policy is weak because it focuses on “appeasing and apologizing and accommodating.”
“Biden doesn’t treat China like an enemy,” Johnson said. “He’s stopped supporting Israel, and has cozied up to Iran to revive the failed nuclear deal. And in the most inexplicable policy imaginable, he’s opened our borders wide to spies and terrorists, while reducing sanctions on Latin dictators who wreak havoc in our backyard.”
Johnson contrasted Biden’s many failures with Trump, who “established a solid security posture” despite those “who want to paint him as an isolationist.”
“Remember how he took out Soleimani and al-Baghdadi?” Johnson said. “Remember how he was the first president to send Javelin missiles to Ukraine, and how he took steps to rebuild our military? Remember how simple Trump’s approach to arms control was? He ended one-sided treaties, he called out Russia for violating the INF Treaty, and he ensured America was developing the weaponry to win if challenged.
“He did not retreat, and he did not apologize. He instilled fear in our enemies and, with his leadership, made clear that American strength is essential to a peaceful 21st century.”
Johnson then concluded his speech by talking about former President Ronald Reagan’s address to “the very first meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference” 50 years ago. “At the time, conservatism was considered by many to be an out-of-date and discredited philosophy. But Ronald Reagan didn’t buy that. Instead, he reminded us all why America is exceptional. He reminded us that we can be that shining city on a hill and so important to the entire world,” Johnson said.
He quoted Reagan’s speech, saying “We cannot escape our destiny, nor should we try to do so. The leadership of the free world was thrust upon us two centuries ago in that little hall in Philadelphia.” Johnson even said he had that quote “printed and put on a little bulletin board behind my typewriter” when he was in high school.
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As the GOP has split into many different factions, Johnson’s responsibility as speaker of the House is to be a unifying force. Even so, he has rightfully stood up for Reaganism in an era when it is controversial. For those looking for an offramp from the national populist direction of the GOP, someone who is able to balance politics and principle is much more effective than those who refuse to engage at all.
In this sense, Johnson could be the model for the post-Trump Republican Party.