TRUMP ON THE ATTACK: President Trump wasted no time targeting Kamala Harris for her position on defense spending and gun rights, telling reporters at the White House on Tuesday that “she wants to slash funds for our military at a level that nobody can even believe.”
Trump spoke shortly after Joe Biden announced that the 55-year-old California senator and failed presidential candidate would be his running mate in the fall. “As far as Kamala is concerned, she’s a big tax raiser, she’s a big slasher of funds for our military, and she’s got a lot of difficult things that she’s going to have to explain,” Trump said, calling Harris “just about the most liberal person in the Senate.
It was a theme he repeated last night in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox. “She wants to raise taxes. She wants to get rid of your Second Amendment — no guns for protection, no nothing. She is very strong on the Second Amendment, getting rid of it, and very bad to the military. She wants to cut the military. She wants to cut spending for the military and the vets.”
HARRIS ON DEFENSE: Harris, a former prosecutor and first-term senator, is listed by Politico as one of eight Democratic candidates who ran for president on a promise to “slash the defense budget.”
“Harris voted against increasing defense spending, promised to limit U.S. military engagements abroad, and called white supremacist violence the top domestic terrorism threat,” said a candidate tracker maintained by the Council on Foreign Relations.
“During her presidential campaign, Harris emphasized her opposition to President Donald J. Trump’s withdrawal from international treaties and agreements and promised to ‘revitalize’ U.S. alliances around the world,” the CFR said. “She called for increasing pressure on China over its human rights record, and she co-sponsored legislation to improve election security, especially criticizing Russia’s interference in U.S. politics.”
“In her 2016 campaign for the U.S. Senate, her foreign policy platform called for preventing the need for military action through ‘the power of smart diplomacy’ and embracing multilateral engagement and alliances,” notes a foreign policy profile released by U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. In a 2017 speech, she called for full funding for America’s development and diplomacy programs. “While less than 1% of the overall federal budget,” she said, “these investments make us safer and more secure because they strengthen vulnerable societies and help us avoid military interventions.”
‘TRUMP GOT PUNKED’: In a Democratic candidates debate on MSNBC last November, Harris called Trump “the greatest threat to the national security of our nation at this moment,” faulting him for pulling out of the Paris climate accord and the Iranian nuclear deal, turning his back on the Kurds in Syria, and meeting with Kim Jong Un in a failed attempt to convince the North Korean dictator to give up his nuclear arsenal.
“Donald Trump got punked. He has conducted foreign policy since day one born out of a very fragile ego that fails to understand that one of the most important responsibilities of the commander in chief is to concern herself with the security of our nation and homeland,” Harris said, in what could be a preview of the line of attack she may use in October’s vice presidential debate in Salt Lake City.
“He has traded a photo-op for nothing,” Harris said, indicating she would restart the joint military exercises with South Korea that Trump canceled as a concession to North Korea. “Those exercises … should be active,” she said, “because they are in our best national security — the relationship that we have with Japan, he has in every way compromised our ability to have any influence on slowing down or at least having a check and balance on North Korea’s nuclear program.”
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HAPPENING TODAY: U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Frank McKenzie will headline a webinar sponsored by the U.S. Institute of Peace on the topic “How ISIS Really Ends.” Also taking part will be Ambassador Bill Roebuck, deputy special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS; and Nancy Lindborg, president and CEO at the U.S. Institute of Peace. 10 a.m. https://www.usip.org/events/how-isis-really-ends
UNEQUAL TREATMENT: The top Democrats on the House and Senate Armed Services committees are fuming about Trump’s decision to extend full funding for National Guard troops supporting the COVID-19 response in some states but not others.
Last week, Trump issued a memorandum directing that for most states, the federal government would pick up only 75% of the cost of National Guard troops and that the states would have to pay the other 25%. But there were two exceptions, Texas and Florida, two states that are critical to Trump’s reelection and have Republican governors who have lavished praise on the president, where the federal government will pay 100% of the cost.
“There is no logical justification for this decision,” write Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; and Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate side. “Instead of basing this decision on what is best for the American people, the Trump Administration’s entire COVID-19 response continues to illustrate the President’s unwillingness to take responsibility and grasp the gravity of the challenge facing our country.”
“The President’s erratic decision-making regarding extensions of Title 32 authority for the National Guard once again demonstrates that his approach to combating COVID-19 is not based on a coherent strategy, nor public health needs,” the lawmakers said in a press release.
“The National Guard continues to play a vital role supporting COVID-19 responses in every state, Washington, D.C., and three territories, yet President Trump has found their ongoing missions unworthy of full Federal support. Pulling full Federal funding for National Guard missions, as states are working to address the pandemic and reopen their communities, is irrational and simply unacceptable.”
TRUMP’S BROMANCE WITH XI ON THE ROCKS: President Trump says his close relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has deteriorated because of “what they did with the China virus” and that he has not spoken to the man he used to describe as a “friend” in a long time.
“I had a very good relationship with President Xi. I would even say better than good. I would say we had a great relationship. He’s a great gentleman,” Trump said in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt. “But my relationship is no longer very good with him because of what they did with the China virus.”
The Rundown
Washington Examiner: Flynn and DOJ argue judge appears ‘biased’ in bid before appeals court to get case quickly dismissed
Washington Examiner: Pompeo condemns Belarus crackdown as Russia ally roiled by ‘unprecedented’ protests
AP: Pompeo Opens Anti-China, Anti-Russia Tour In Czech Republic
CNN: China Increases Military Drills As Tensions With U.S. Heat Up
Reuters: China says opposes any official U.S. ties with Taiwan under any pretext
Wall Street Journal: Hong Kong Media Baron Jimmy Lai Released On Bail
New York Times: Russia Approves Coronavirus Vaccine Before Completing Tests
AP: Serbia Considers Buying Chinese Missiles Despite U.S. Warning
USNI News: South Korea Plans to Build F-35B Lightning Aircraft Carrier
Forbes: This Is What South Korea’s First Aircraft Carrier Will Look Like
Reuters: Iran arrests 5 on suspicion of spying for foreign states
AP: Iraq Military Says Turkish Drone Kills Two Senior Commanders
Military Times: Bye-Bye Bitcoin: Marine Corps Bans Cryptocurrency Mining On Government Devices
Talk Media News: B-52, with new engines and more, outlasts upstarts to be more viable, vibrant and vicious
C4ISRNET: Pentagon Requests 30-Day Extension For Re-Awarding JEDI
Air Force Magazine: F-35 at Red Flag-Alaska for 1st Time
Calendar
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 12
10 a.m. — U.S. Institute of Peace webinar: “How ISIS Really Ends,” with Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander, U.S. Central Command; Amb. Bill Roebuck, deputy special envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS; and Nancy Lindborg, president and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/events/how-isis-really-ends
12 p.m. — SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. webinar: “Bolton’s Book: Trump Administration’s Foreign Policymaking,” with Trita Parsi, executive vice president, Quincy Institute; Mike Doran, senior fellow, Hudson Institute; and Kadir Ustun, executive director, The SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
THURSDAY | AUGUST 13
9 a.m. — Atlantic Council webinar: “Countering the Maduro Regime’s Global Web of Illicit Activities,” Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command; Douglas Farah, president of IBI Consultants; and Jason Marczak, director of the Atlantic Council’s Latin America Center. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event
9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies webcast on North Korea and inter-Korean relations, with Tae Young-ho, member of the Republic of Korea National Assembly. https://www.csis.org/events/online-event
9 a.m — Professional Services Council Defense Services Conference, with Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, and Rear Adm. John Polowczyk, vice director for logistics for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. https://pscouncil.org
9:30 a.m. — National Defense Industrial Association virtual roundtable: “Air Force International Affairs,” with Deputy Air Force Undersecretary for International Affairs Kelli Seybolt. https://www.ndia.org/events/2020
9:30 a.m. — Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Power Forum with Randall Walden, director and PEO of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office; and Mike Roberts, director and PEO of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/aerospace-nation
10 a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room — Department of Defense Education Activity Director Thomas Brady press briefing to discuss fall school schedule during COVID-19. https://www.defense.gov/Watch/Live-Events/
12 p.m. — Association of the U.S. Army AUSA Noon Report webinar with Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, director of the Army Talent Management Task Force. https://www.bigmarker.com/ausaorg
FRIDAY | AUGUST 14
1 p.m. — National Press Club Newsmaker Program virtual book discussion on “The Rise of the G.I. Army, 1940-1942: The Forgotten Story of How America Forged a Powerful Army Before Pearl Harbor,” with author Paul Dickson; and Michael Freedman, president of the National Press Club. https://www.press.org/events/headliners
5 p.m. — Air Force Association Roll Call virtual discussion with Gen. James “Mike” Holmes, commander, Air Combat Command. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I had a very good relationship with President Xi. I would even say better than good. I would say we had a great relationship. He’s a great gentleman. But my relationship is no longer very good with him because of what they did with the China virus.”
President Trump, in an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Fox radio
