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News Link • Foreign Policy

Biden officials trying to 'Trump-proof' Democrat's foreign policy

• https://www.wnd.com, By Jake Smith

After a sweeping victory by President-elect Donald Trump in Tuesday's elections, administration officials are scrambling to figure out how they can protect President Joe Biden's foreign policy legacy.

Trump beat out Vice President Kamala Harris in a stunning landslide on Tuesday, garnering at least a 292-224 margin in the electoral vote and millions more than Harris in the popular vote, according to multiple reports as of Wednesday afternoon. With the prospect of a second Trump administration looming, Biden officials are debating how to stop Trump from significantly altering Biden's foreign policy initiatives, according to several sources who spoke to Politico on condition of anonymity.

That could include flooding Ukraine with more aid from the U.S. or imposing sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank, along with a host of other options, according to Politico.

But there might not be much they can do. As president, Trump will have sweeping executive authority and could likely undo most moves made by Biden officials between now and January. Trump has already vowed to reverse a number of Biden's initiatives when he takes office.

And assuming Republicans keep the House of Representatives — as they have already taken back the Senate from Democrats in Tuesday's elections — Trump will likely have the broad support of both chambers of Congress behind him.

"You really can't 'Trump-proof,'" one official told Politico. "You can 'Trump delay,' you can throw sand in the gears, but there is no way short of legislation to 'Trump-proof.'"

Biden's approach to Ukraine has done little to shift the tides in Kyiv's favor, despite unwavering support and billions of dollars in U.S. aid. Biden officials have the option of tapping the remaining $6 billion in congressionally approved weapon stockpiles to send to Ukraine, but that could take months.

Besides, Trump could decide to halt the shipment of those weapons once he takes office. Trump has promised to end the war between Russia and Ukraine by the time he takes office — citing his ability to negotiate with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin — which would likely involve some sort of peace settlement.

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