©Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Paul Morrigi/Getty Images Above, the shared photo shows Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Fox News anchor Shannon Brim. Brim clashed with McCaul on Sunday over his support of former President Donald Trump's foreign policy.
Fox News host Shannon Brim on Sunday spoke with Texas Republican Michael McCaul about former President Donald Trump's "chaotic" foreign policy.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman McCaul appeared on Fox News on Sunday to discuss the latest developments in world politics after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to deploy nuclear weapons to Belarus for the first time in decades .
In his speech, McCaul criticized President Joe Biden's foreign policy, which he called "weak". Republicans have sharply criticized Biden's views on global issues, including the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in 2021, his attitude toward China and the extent of his administration's aid to Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
"Since President Biden took office, he has predicted weakness. When you predict weakness, you predict weakness and war," McCaul said. "When you project power, as [former President Ronald] Reagan said, you invite peace."
He added that Washington's "extraordinarily weak foreign policy" is responsible for a number of global crises, including China's increasingly aggressive stance toward Taiwan, Russia's intervention in Ukraine and rising tensions between the United States and Iran. McCall took issue with the foreign policies of Biden and Trump, saying that the country's opponents are "afraid" of Trump.
However, Brim questioned McCall about Trump's foreign policy. The former president has faced a backlash from critics who say his diplomatic policies have been erratic and alienating US allies abroad.
"What about people saying he's causing chaos? But when Biden comes back, foreign policy will be calm and peaceful. Has President Trump walked away from grand deals and created chaos?" Brim asked. "And underneath that, critics say we've lost respect in the world?"
In response, McCall defended Trump's foreign policy.
"Fear gives restraint and unpredictability, I'd say with Trump. With Biden — I'd say I'd go back to Afghanistan because of that projection of weakness," he said. "When Afghanistan fell, that was the turning point. When Putin looked at Ukraine and Xi looked at Taiwan. Then everything changed. Afghanistan was the turning point. It was a disaster."
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan was seen as a mistake and criticized by the entire political spectrum. The US military quickly evacuated the country in August 2021, allowing the Taliban movement to return to power, raising concerns about the future of the Middle Eastern country's right-wing struggle.
After the withdrawal, US lawmakers and foreign policy leaders grappled with what went wrong.
Republicans blamed Biden for the retreat, saying it was mishandled by his administration. Still, others said Trump's talks with the Taliban in the years before he left put the Biden administration at a disadvantage.
Newsweek reached out to McCall's office for comment via email.
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