Democrats need their own foreign policy rupture — SkimNews

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- Trump's foreign policy approval has sunk nearly 30% since his second-term inauguration, driven by a protracted Iran war, tariffs gutted by the Supreme Court, and a Venezuela regime-change operation that left the U.S. in an "imperial caretaker role."
- Democrats hold a decisive overall polling advantage for the November midterms but remain essentially tied with Republicans on foreign policy, per the article's reading of polling.
- U.S. allies in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East are responding to Trump's second term by inking new trade and defense agreements aimed at long-term reduction of dependence on Washington.
- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney characterized the shift as a "rupture" rather than an aberration in his Davos speech earlier this year, framing Trump's second presidency as a consequential break from the normal course of American politics.
- Progressive primary challengers have trounced establishment Democrats by appealing to voters' desire to end blank-check support for Israel, making the relationship a litmus test for breaking with "destructive orthodoxies," per Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
- The piece prescribes that Democrats reject U.S. military primacy in the Middle East, develop positive-sum economic engagement rather than hoarding prosperity, and pursue cooperation with China alongside targeted pushback, aligning with proposals from Carney and Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez.
Why it matters: Democrats lead the midterms overall but are tied with Republicans on foreign policy. Without a break from Biden-era orthodoxy, the piece warns, they cede that ground to Trumpism's successors while U.S. allies quietly restructure trade and defense ties away from Washington.
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