The United States seems to be "fundamentally withdrawing" from world relations, and that poses dangers from countries that could turn to other powerful nations to meet their needs, Sen. Chris Murphy said Tuesday.
"The world is freaked out right now because they see American leadership vanishing before their eyes," said the Connecticut Democrat, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program.
"It's not just the erratic nature of the Trump administration. One day you have Nikki Haley coming out and talking about Russia being Ukraine, and two days later the president of the United States casts doubt whether Russians ever invaded Ukraine. One day we're against one-China policy, another day we're for it."
In addition, daily briefings are gone, and nominees are not being named for assistant secretary slots.
"This is at a moment when we live in a multi-polar world," Murphy said. "It's easy to accept an offer from China or Russia to be your pal if the United States isn't on the playing field. It's a really critical moment right now. It's hard for many of us to understand why the president doesn't see the reality of what's happening."
The New York TImes has reported that the United States is using cyber weapons to interfere with North Korea's supply chain to interrupt its missile program, but Murphy said he would not list that as his first choice, as it leaves the United States open to similar attacks.
"I do not know if this White House is capable of dealing with a [foreign] crisis," Murphy said. "I will tell you I am more confident now that Michael Flynn is out of the National Security Council and [national security adviser] H.R. McMaster is in. I think he brings a sober mind to this that is necessary."
Murphy also spoke out against President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, saying he still thinks it violates the nation's principles, and extremists are calling it a "blessed ban" that has created a means of recruitment for jihadists.
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.
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