South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg said the U.S. relationship with “the entire world” will need to change following President Trump’s tenure.
“We have no idea which of our most important allies he will have pissed off worst between now and then,” Buttigieg quipped Thursday during the Democratic presidential primary debate. “What we know is that our relationship with the entire world needs to change. It starts by modeling American values at home.”
{mosads}Buttigieg was responding to a question posed to all 10 candidates on stage about which U.S. relationship they would repair first if elected, one of the few foreign policy questions in the two-hour debate.
Trump has disparaged U.S. allies throughout his tenure, such as demanding NATO members pay more for the price of their own defense.
Several candidates on Thursday cited NATO as the issue they would focus on first, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.).
“We know NATO will fall apart if [Trump is] elected four more years,” Biden said.
Author Marianne Williamson said she would call up European leaders and tell them, “We’re back.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) also said he would repair relationships with European allies, as well as Latin American countries “willing to have a conversation about how to deal with the refugee crisis.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) highlighted Iran, saying Trump is “hell-bent” on starting a war there and that she would make sure “we do not start an unwanted, never-ending war.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he would “rebuild trust in the entire United Nations.”
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang both said China, with Yang adding Beijing will be important to work with on climate change, artificial intelligence and North Korea.
In one of the other few foreign policy questions, Biden also defended his record of voting for the Iraq War, highlighting that the Obama administration withdrew troops from Iraq.
President Obama finished withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011, but had to send the U.S. military back a few years later with the rise of ISIS.
Biden also said it is “long overdue” to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan and that he would make sure the 2001 war authorization that’s still in use “is only used for what its intent was, and that is to go after terrorists.”
Sanders stepped in to tout his own record, retorting that he “helped lead the opposition” to the Iraq War and highlighted his recent efforts to end U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen’s civil war.
“I will do everything I can to prevent a war with Iran, which would be far worse than disastrous war with Iraq,” Sanders added.