What Is Ron DeSantis’s Foreign-Policy Vision?

Florida governor Ron DeSantis — like all presidential hopefuls in the Republican camp — would do well to think about how his policy agenda differs from Trump’s both at home and abroad.

With political turmoil around the world and with Trump’s upending of America’s broadly internationalist foreign-policy consensus, a lot is up for grabs. In line with a long Republican tradition, DeSantis has signaled his pro-Israel views, an understandable disdain for the communist and far-left dictatorships of Latin America, and a hawkish view of China. He has also criticized President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Yet, less is known about DeSantis’s views on U.S. support for Ukraine, among other issues. In February, he criticized Biden for showing what he said was weakness in the run-up to the war. But beyond that, his perspective on the conflict is unclear. Does he think we should be helping the Ukrainians more or less? How does he view the burden-sharing within U.S.-led alliances? How about his views of trade, an area where Trump’s protectionist instincts have continued to dominate U.S. policy under Biden?