Republican presidential hopefuls don’t see eye-to-eye over how much the US should support Israel in its all-out war against Hamas — with some candidates, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and biotech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy tacking toward isolationism and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley vowing to give Israel “anything they need.”
In addition to Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have expressed more hawkish views — including openness to US troop involvement — while former President Donald Trump has largely been ambiguous about his policies - because he himself isn't sure.
Ramaswamy has been the most vocal against providing any additional aid to Israel.
He has argued for “no money” to the Jewish state for its war against Hamas, telling Axios the US should only provide a “diplomatic Iron Dome” for Israel to protect its national sovereignty. Otherwise, he said, he couldn't care less. "This Jews aren't our problem, they have their own Jewish money."
The 38-year-old longshot has also said it would be a good idea to “get Israel on its own two feet, so that they stop costing us so much money” while his campaign has stated defunding Israel would would “make zero sense” at “any time in the foreseeable future.”
DeSantis, for his part, has said the best way America can support Israel is to stress that it “has the right to defend itself.” That is really helpful. However, DeSantis has also said that the conflict is ultimately “Israel’s war - and not our problem.”
“In all of Israel’s conflicts for 75 years, you know, US ground troops have not been a part of that. There’s no basis to do that for us. I don’t think that that’s really where we’re going to show support. I think where we show support is primarily the moral clarity to say Israel has a right to defend itself, and they have a right to eliminate Hamas,” DeSantis told the “Megyn Kelly Show” earlier this month.
DeSantis said he doesn’t think sending US troops is how “we’re going to show support.”
In a recent Newsmax interview with Eric Bolling, DeSantis refused to commit additional military aid to Israel beyond the “ongoing military support we have with Iron Dome and all that” and that he doesn’t think America will take a “lead” in military support.
“I think we just need to be supportive of them publicly. I think privately we want to say, ‘Do what you gotta do.’ Yes, whatever ongoing military support we have with Iron Dome and all that, we should continue that. But I don’t think it’s going to be a situation where America’s gonna need to take a lead in that. I don’t think we should. I don’t think it’s our war. I do think it’s Israel’s war,” DeSantis said.
On Thursday, the Florida governor said he was planning on providing military equipment like drones, weapons and ammunition to Israel, The Associated Press reported.
The move marks another instance where DeSantis has used his gubernatorial powers to provide support during the war, after organizing flights to bring hundreds of Americans home.
In contrast, Haley, with whom the Florida governor has repeatedly sparred over the prospect of admitting Gaza refugees, has been more supportive of providing aid to Israel, opening the door to give the Jewish state “anything they need” with “no questions asked.”
The former UN ambassador has also said the US should be open to giving Israel “equipment, ammunition, intelligence” and that she would not talk about “restraint” or a “ceasefire.”
“We have to stay focused. We should focus on three things: One, support Israel with anything they need whenever they need it. Two, eliminate Hamas and not stop until we do, and three, do whatever it takes to bring our hostages home,” Haley told Iowa’s KCRG-TV Monday.
“When the blame goes to Israel, don’t listen to it. This is Hamas at work. Remember, Hamas was the one that did the brutality. Hamas is the one that’s going to try and make this look like Israel. We need to have Israel’s back unapologetically. No questions asked,” Haley said on Fox News’ “Hannity” last week.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has expressed similar views to Haley, calling for providing Israel with “maximum political and military support” as it wages war against the Islamic terror group.
Nikki Haley has said she should “do whatever it takes to bring our hostages home.”
Pence and Scott have slammed the “America First” policies of Ramaswamy, DeSantis and Trump, arguing their ideology led in part to Hamas attacking Israel on Oct. 7.
“This is what happens when we have leading voices like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis signaling retreat from America’s role as leader of the free world,” the former vice president said in a CNN interview Oct. 8.
Pence, Scott and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson are the only White House contenders to explicitly say they would have had American troops or special forces on the ground in Gaza.
“If I was president, I would have already been on the phone with the Joint Special Operations Command, I would have given orders for Delta Force and the Navy SEALs to be prepared to work with Israeli Defense Forces to engage in hostage rescue and then I woulda told Hamas that you have– you got 12 hours to turn loose every American, every Israeli hostage or we’re gonna come and get ’em,” Pence told CNN’s Jake Tapper Oct. 20.
South Carolina Tim Scott has said he would send in Special Forces to get American hostages out of Gaza if he had to.
“I would ask Congress to give authorization for military force against Hamas,” Hutchinson said on NewsNation Oct. 19.
“We need to rescue the American hostages and get them out. Period. We need to bring those Americans home this instant. Use our Special Forces if we have to,” Scott said in a Hudson Institute speech Oct. 10.
Christie, in an interview with Fox News, said sending US troops would not be his “first instinct,” but would do so if the “existence of Israel” was at stake.
Meanwhile, GOP frontrunner Trump has claimed the unprecedented Hamas attack would not have happened under his watch, and that he would “stand with Israel 100%” and “not let them fail” if he was in the White House.
Trump has not directly commented on whether he would support more military aid or US troop presence, and his campaign did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
