This post was originally published on this site
Some current and former members of the Trump administration seem to be accepting that President-elect Joe Biden is taking over next month.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was recorded earlier this week pleading with Education Department employees to “be the resistance” when the new administration moves in. And now former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has written an op-ed for the Washington Post offering Biden some foreign policy advice — and on the same day that President Donald Trump’s former Homeland Security adviser warned in a New York Times column that the country is being hacked by Russia, which he claimed has compromised the networks of the federal government and corporate America. Both pieces were posted online on Wednesday.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, warned that Biden will probably feel “strong partisan pressure to reject most, if not all, of Trump’s foreign policy,” but doing so would be “a mistake.”
“ “Sweeping away the achievements and strategies of the past four years would endanger American safety and interests.” ”
She then urged Biden to continue with Trump’s “America First” policies in three areas: being tough on China and protecting American interests; pressuring the Cuban and Venezuelan dictatorships; and continuing to encourage Arab-Israeli peace.
Haley described China as feeding on American openness “like a parasite,” and called Communist China “the most serious global threat the United States faces” due to its “hostile” intentions to overtake America economically and militarily.
Haley said that if Biden eased up on either Venezuela or Cuba, it would amount to “an embrace of socialism” and enable “the most monstrous regimes in our hemisphere.”
Read:Biden eyes major foreign policy shifts if he wins
And she described the “blooming friendships” between Israel and Arab countries as one of “the most beautiful developments of the past four years,” which she credited to Trump’s actions. She encouraged Biden to broker “a deeper peace” by continuing to isolate Iran and encourage harmony between Israel and the Arab states.
Related:‘There’s going to be peace in the Middle East’: Trump presides over historic Arab-Israel deals
Haley also suggested that the incoming administration keep the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, which Trump withdrew the country from this year. She called rejoining the accord “foolish” and claimed it would put the U.S. “at the mercy” of nations like China strengthening themselves at America’s expense. “Biden can expand on our success and promote America’s interests in each,” she concluded. “It would be disastrous if he missed the opportunity because of a partisan desire to reverse the course of his predecessor.”
Also read:Here’s what Biden’s first 100 days could mean for health care, energy and more key sectors.
Her column went viral on Twitter on Thursday morning, with critics generally questioning her credibility, or pointing out that perceptions of the U.S. around the world are at near historic lows.
Others pointed out her oversight of Russia’s potential risk to American interests and security — especially in light of Thomas P. Bossert, who was the homeland security adviser to Trump and the deputy homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush, writing his own op-ed claiming that Russians have had access to a considerable number of important and sensitive U.S. networks for six to nine months. His headline reads, “We’re being hacked.”
Still others dredged up a 2016 tweet where Trump, then a presidential candidate, wrote that South Carolina residents were “embarrassed” by their governor, Haley, after she had said she wouldn’t endorse him for president. She wasn’t a fan of him either, at the time, claiming that he represented “everything a governor doesn’t want in a president.”
Keep up with the latest on election results and the Biden transition here.
