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Donald Trump, the unique 45th President of the United States of America (USA), has taken his place on the ballot once again as the Republican candidate in the presidential elections to be held in November. Thus, millions of American voters will witness a rematch in a presidential election for the first time since 1956. We all know how long and dramatic a process it took to reach the result of the 2020 elections. Considering the events of January 6, Donald Trump’s lawsuit processes, the 2022 midterm elections, and what is happening in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, it is essential to understand the importance of these elections.
It is not often that foreign policy, as a debating arena, emerges as one of the primaries focuses of campaigns in American presidential elections. After all, while there are economics, irregular immigration and all sorts of controversial social topics, foreign policy has a limited impact on the voting behavior of the American electorate. However, this situation faces a significant transformation in 2024. The security threat posed to the European continent by the Russia-Ukraine War, which has been two years old, and the Israel-Palestine War, which has been six months old, the heavy financial support allocated by the USA to the war, and the uncertainty of the upcoming period are the main reasons for this transformation. As a result, war has its fair share as one of the areas of increasing inter-party polarization in American politics. Now, both the quality and quantity of aid to be provided for Ukraine, if not for Israel, are seriously discussed in Congress. As the elections approach, Republican Congress members question, criticize, and ultimately block the free nature of the aid. As such, the outcome of the 2024 elections has become the main agenda issue for Europe as well as for the American people.
Donald Trump is undoubtedly a political actor whom we cannot consider independently of this controversial process, with his statements and rhetoric. Not too long ago, Russia’s statement that it would encourage NATO member states that did not pay their defense contributions to “do whatever they want” caused serious outrage, to say the least, in the old continent. These words, which show that the idea of isolationism still finds a strong response in American politics, show that the situation has reached a level that cannot be underestimated for NATO and its member countries. In these days when the election is on the horizon, it has become extremely important to carefully examine the possible effects of a possible second Donald Trump term and the inflammatory rhetoric he uses as a domestic policy tool for NATO.
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