Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) argued Sunday in CBS's “facing the people” that the Trump administration's foreign policy has “a retreating America.”
Partial transcripts as follows:
Margaret Brennan: Now joins Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen from Maryland. I'm happy to be welcoming you here. I would like to refer to an interview I just did with Steve Witkoff, the president's special envoy. You looked closely at the Middle East. I know you just met an Arab leader when you were in Europe last week. He said it would be unrealistic for Palestinians to remain in Gaza while they were being rebuilt. Egypt and Jordan are working on plans to make that possible. Does that proposal have a chance to survive, or does this idea of keeping them apart for 15 years?
Van Hollen: So, the good news about what Steve Witkoff said was that he was hoping we would reach the second stage of the discussion. The very bad news was that he didn't deny this outrageous idea that Donald Trump placed on the table cleaning up two million Gazans. It's a cleansing of ethnic groups by another name, and Arab countries are currently working very hard to put together plans to show that governance, security and reconstruction can be addressed, and that 2 million people don't need to be pushed out. It is shown. Gaza to do that. It is tough. That should be done in stages and we have identified the area of Gaza. We have identified the area of Gaza. There are very few areas in Gaza that have not been erased. area.
Brennan: But if the most powerful players in the US say that it's not what we want to do, how will it survive?
Van Hollen: Well, this is a big problem. Because when Trump issued those statements, what he did was further and more fueled in Israel. Their ideas were celebrating so Ben Gwyrs, the smotrich whom they had just celebrated, was to move two million Palestinians from Gaza. They also want to move Palestinians from the Jordan River to places like Jordan and Egypt. So, in addition to being a rebukeable idea for moral and legal reasons, it completely destabilizes the region. As such, Arab countries are working fiercely to address these issues and put together plans to have a future horizon that provides security. Self-determination of both Israelis and Palestinians, and both Israelis and Palestinians.
Brennan: We also hear that the President is closing this contract with Ukraine on mineral resources that can be used for all kinds of valuable technologies. What security guarantees do the US donate to Ukraine as part of any of this?
Van Hollen: Well, I think all of this is negotiable, but what you shouldn't do with Margaret is to start negotiations with Putin at number one. Don't start by giving up on a specific key card. For example, the US guarantee, or the future of NATO Ukraine. But you'll eventually settle this and it's a matter of negotiation, but giving up those cards up front, like Trump did, is a terrible negotiation.
Brennan: It was extraordinary to hear Steve Witkov explain his meeting with Vladimir Putin, as he did for us.
Van Hollen: I just say this isn't “America's first.” This is America of Retreat, China, Russia and our enemies celebrate every moment of this as our allies are scared to death. And this is more than just rhetoric.
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