Rep. Jeff Van Drew, speaking while President Joe Biden was attending emergency NATO meetings Thursday, told Newsmax he has a "tough time being confident" in Biden when it comes to Ukraine because he's been "weak and feckless in almost everything that he's approached domestically and internationally."
"Part of the reason this is happening is because so many people around the world see the United States as a weaker country," the New Jersey Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "What happened in Afghanistan? What's happened with our energy supply? What's happened with, you know, law enforcement and safety within our own country? What's happened with our supply chain?"
The problems in all those sectors make countries like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran all feel that the United States is weaker and that "we're not going to do anything."
It is clear that the United States can't lead from behind, as it is the "powerhouse of the world," he added.
Meanwhile, Van Drew also said he thinks the United States should be helping Ukraine as much as it can, except for putting American soldiers' boots on the ground.
The congressman also said that reports that leaders from other nations, like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are refusing calls from Biden, "who is supposedly the most powerful man on the face of the Earth" are "mind-boggling."
"We wouldn't be here if we weren't energy-dependent, and we're energy-dependent because of one person," he said. "The purposeful actions that this president took to reduce our energy output and to reduce our energy presence actually created the situation."
Van Drew is also a co-sponsor of the Make Russia Pay Act, which, if passed, will establish a fund in the U.S. Treasury to seize Russian assets to help fund Ukrainian relief efforts.
"The humanitarian losses are just unbelievable in Ukraine, the destruction of cities that culture and civilization," he said. "We want to help these people get back on their feet and survive."
Note: See Newsmax TV now carried in more than 100 million U.S. homes, on DirecTV Ch. 349, Dish Network Ch. 216, Xfinity Ch. 1115, Spectrum, U-verse Ch. 1220, FiOS Ch. 615, Frontier Ch. 115, Optimum Ch. 102, Cox cable, Suddenlink Ch. 102, Mediacom Ch. 277, AT&T TV Ch 349, FUBO and major OTT platforms like Roku, YouTube, Xumo, Pluto and most smart TV’s including Samsung+, Sony, LG, Vizio and more – Find All Systems that Carry Newsmax – Click Here
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.