Former Trump Official Says U.S. Should Stay Out of Foreign Elections at IOP Panel

Michael Anton, a former Trump administration foreign policy official, said the United States should stay out of foreign elections during a Harvard Institute of Politics panel on Monday, one day after President Donald Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection.

Anton and former Biden administration national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed a range of foreign policy issues — including the war in Iran, a potential Russia-Ukraine agreement, and Israel’s upcoming elections — as part of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Candid & Constructive Conversations Initiative.

Asked about Trump’s endorsement by moderator Amna Nawaz, a PBS NewsHour anchor, Anton said he opposed U.S. involvement in foreign elections. He added that the United States’ commitment was not to any “particular Israeli government” but to the state of Israel itself.

“I just think it’s kind of none of our business,” Anton said. “Let other countries sort out the leadership that they want to choose themselves.”

In response to the same question, Sullivan turned to the ongoing war with Iran, saying that Netanyahu has “talked about wanting to have a forever war with Iran.”

“He doesn’t mind if the Strait of Hormuz is closed because it doesn’t affect him,” Sullivan said. “Whereas it does matter to the American people, and so I think that the United States should take the position that it is time to see these wars end.”

Asked about Iran, Sullivan said the war was not serving American interests and argued that a diplomatic agreement would ultimately be necessary to end the country’s nuclear program.

“You can bomb them, as the Trump administration did last year, and set the program back, but at the end of the day, Iran still has enriched Uranium,” he said.

Anton said he was skeptical about the prospects of reaching an agreement with Iran but did not rule out a future deal.

“But hey, diplomacy’s been made, there have been all kinds of successful deals over the years that have that character.” Anton said “I’m not completely sure it was out of reach.”

The two also discussed Russia’s war in Ukraine and the role the U.S. should play in ending the conflict. Sullivan said the U.S. must stand up for Ukraine to ensure the country’s survival.

“It is in the American national interest not just to provide the support we’re providing to Ukraine, but also to ensure that this kind of aggression cannot ultimately succeed,” he said.

Anton disagreed, saying he would place Ukraine “lower” on the United States’ list of foreign policy priorities.

“By definition, the war will be prolonged the more the United States acts on behalf of Ukraine, the more weapons it supplies,” he said. “How much of this is really a core national interest of the United States?”