Biden’s Foreign Policy Failures and Why I’m Still Voting for Him

President Joe Biden’s foreign policy ineptitude has been a huge disappointment for the wellbeing of the country and I’m still probably voting for him. Biden’s term as president has been marked by countless foreign policy fumbles, failures, and moments that left us all scratching our heads. From his questionable China moves to bowing in submission to Saudi Arabia, it is abundantly clear that many of Biden’s policies have played into the hand of our adversaries. Despite these hard-to-stomach foreign policy failures, I still find myself planning to reluctantly fill in the box that says Biden in the voting booth in the event of a Trump-Biden rematch. 

Believe it or not, Joe Biden’s campaign was marked by promises of “tough-on-China” and “tough-on-Saudi Arabia” policies. But by 2023, Biden found himself flying overseas to Riyadh, begging Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to switch on the oil taps, so he could salvage the fallout of his Russia oil sanctions and subsequent inflation crisis. Biden has practically kneeled in front of MbS, the known human rights abuser who butchered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi consulate.

Biden’s China moves have been bewildering to say the least. From failing to produce an adequate report of what happened with the Chinese spy balloon shot down over American territory, to calling Xi Jinpeng a “dictator” while his Secretary of State was in Beijing meeting with the Chinese President himself, Biden’s promises of clever and innovative China policies seem to have fizzled out. In 2023, the US finds itself in a troubling China dilemma because of Biden’s policies. Beijing ‘s economy is now entirely self-reliant due to US-imposed restrictions which have completely backfired. China, now entirely relying on its own production of computer chips and technological materials, is miles ahead of the U.S in many cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and nanoscale materials. 

Although Biden continuously embarrasses the country in front of the international community, lacks energy and leadership skills, and implements ineffective foreign policy, at least he is not a federal criminal. This is what I find myself repeating in my head as I grimace in anticipation of another Trump vs. Biden nightmare. Donald Trump is a criminal. He became the first former US president in history to be indicted after court cases in Manhattan and Florida for tax fraud and mishandling of classified government documents. After hearing the audio recording of Trump admitting to holding onto classified documents illegally, I was shocked as a lowly intern at a think tank who knows the importance of keeping information protected. The nail in the coffin was Trump being found legally liable for sexual abuse he committed against E. Jean Carrol in 1996. Biden’s failures are maddening but Trump’s crimes are inexcusable. I cannot bring myself to vote for a man who cares more about his own bragging rights than our national security and who thinks of himself as above the law.

Voters; I know you care about policy and I know that Biden’s presidency has been underwhelming and downright disappointing, but I urge you to consider the very real implications of a potential second Trump presidency and the threat posed to the institutions we hold near and dear. In December, 2022, Trump called to “terminate” the US Constitution in order to overturn election results. Four years of ineffective foreign policy is better than a president who seeks to subvert and alter democracy as we know it.