House Democrat: Trump presidency could pose risk to US relationship with allies

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, issued a stark warning Tuesday about how a second term for former President Trump would impact the country’s national security, as he pushed for a win for Democrats in November.

“There’s a national security reason to want the Democrats to win, and that national security reason is that a Donald Trump presidency, is a presidency in which we probably walk away from our commitment to our allies,” Himes told Politico on Tuesday. “Donald Trump, amongst his many attributes, has this bizarre, magnetic attraction to autocrats.”

Himes argued Trump could halt support for Ukraine and abandon the U.S.’s European allies, Politico reported.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine in just 24 hours if he were the president, sparking fears the U.S. will ditch its support of Kyiv under his administration. His running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), an outspoken critic of U.S. military and economic support for Ukraine, further fueled these concerns.

Himes said the U.S. should not dismiss Ukraine’s prospects in its war with Russia.

“We need to be humble about what the Ukrainians are capable of doing and support them more fervently than we have,” he said.

Earlier this year, Trump came under fire for remarks encouraging aggression toward “delinquent” NATO members. NATO’s chief and member states raised concerns that a second Trump administration would seek to weaken the alliance.

Himes pointed to Iran’s hack of the Trump campaign, warning U.S. citizens should still be concerned about election security.

“Don’t ever get complacent,” he said, per Politico. “I am confident that [those in the intelligence community] are very, very good at this. I’m also confident that there’s always a threat that you don’t see coming around the corner.”

The Hill reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.