Three senior Democratic lawmakers on Monday (September 15, 2025) accused President Donald Trump of weakening America’s national security by driving U.S. allies such as India toward Russia and China, while emboldening authoritarian leaders from Moscow to Pyongyang.
“President Trump is undermining our national security and making the world a more dangerous place,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “He continues to demonstrate weakness and fecklessness at home and on the world stage.”
The statement came from Representatives Gregory W. Meeks of New York, Adam Smith of Washington, and Jim Himes of Connecticut — the ranking Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Intelligence Committees.
Together, they presented a sweeping indictment of Mr. Trump’s foreign policy record, from his handling of the war in Ukraine to his economic measures against U.S. partners.
Among their sharpest criticisms: the President’s tariffs against allies such as India. The lawmakers warned that such measures were “driving India and other countries into the waiting arms of Russia, China, and North Korea.”
A red carpet for Putin
The Democrats pointed to Mr. Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin as emblematic of his approach. “From literally rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin during his disastrous summit, to enacting steep tariffs against allies and partners … he is weakening America, not making it stronger,” they said.
They also accused Mr., Trump of parroting Kremlin talking points. “Since the start of his Administration, Donald Trump has parroted Mr. Putin’s talking points blaming President Zelenskyy and Ukraine for Russia’s unjust and brutal invasion,” the lawmakers wrote.
The consequences, they argued, are already visible. With U.S. support for European defense in question, Russia has “ramped up its aggression, most recently sending drones into Polish airspace and signaling a dangerous escalation of his bid to rebuild the Russian empire.”
Military strikes without authority
The lawmakers’ statement catalogued a series of actions they described as unconstitutional and reckless. They cited Mr. Trump’s decision to authorise a lethal strike on a speedboat off the coast of Venezuela “without an authorization for the use of force.” They also pointed to an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities “without congressional authority or a plan for preventing future Iranian nuclear advancement.”
They criticized Mr. Trump’s deployment of the military to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., over the objections of local officials, and his unilateral move to rebrand the Department of Defense as the “Department of War” without legislation.
“These actions show there is no limit to his executive overreach and willingness to violate constitutional law and norms,” the lawmakers said.
Alienating allies, appeasing strongmen
The Democrats charged that Mr. Trump’s foreign policy style has been rooted in personal ambition and insecurity. “With each desperate appeal to strongmen and dictators to rewrite history and nominate him for the Nobel Prize, Mr. Trump alienates allies and alliances crucial to global stability and our own national security and national defence,” the statement read.
His “brazen disregard for the law and our coequal branches of government,” they continued, has coincided with worsening conflicts abroad and new crises emerging under his watch.
Democratic leaders’ pledge
The lawmakers said their committees will serve as a check on Mr. Trump’s policies. “As the Democratic leaders of the Congress’s national security committees, we commit to pushing back on the Trump Administration’s reckless policies that not only undermine the United States’ international standing and fan the flames of conflicts around the globe, but also make America less secure.”
They pledged to restore U.S. leadership grounded in alliances and democratic values. “We stand for returning the United States to a place that supports our international partners and allies, rejects autocratic and authoritarian regimes, respects the rule of law and the separation of powers at home, and prioritizes the prosperity and security of all Americans, not the ego of a fragile and weak President.”
Context and implications
The joint rebuke underscores growing Democratic anxiety about the long-term implications of Mr. Trump’s trade and defense policies.
India, which is a key partner in Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, has faced increasing pressure from steep American tariffs. Observers say that punitive measures could undercut shared strategic goals and open the door for closer Indian engagement with Moscow and Beijing.
Such a criticism also comes as Russia intensifies its war in Ukraine and signals broader ambitions in Eastern Europe. Democratic leaders say Mr. Trump’s inconsistent signals on NATO and European defense aid risk emboldening Mr. Putin and unsettling allies.
Their statement, laced with examples ranging from Venezuela to Iran to domestic troop deployments, sought to paint a portrait of a president more focused on consolidating personal power than reinforcing alliances or constitutional norms.
Whether their warning reshapes policy remains unclear. But by speaking in unison, the three Democrats responsible for overseeing foreign affairs, defense, and intelligence delivered a coordinated message: they see Mr. Trump’s approach as a threat not just to America’s global standing, but to its own security.
This article is published in an arrangement with 5WH.
Published – September 16, 2025 08:38 am IST
