U.S. Foreign Policy: Bad Under Biden, Worse with Trump /Lt Col Daniel Davis & Chas Freeman

Daniel Davis Deep Dive Merch: Etsy store

The discussion frames U.S. diplomacy under both Biden and Trump as having hit historic lows, marked by self-inflicted mistakes, broken agreements, and declining credibility. Trump’s team was expected to at least improve things by ending the Ukraine war, but critics argue it has instead created new failures.

Former Ambassador Chas Freeman critiques recent comments from Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Gen. Keith Kellogg, who claimed Russia is “losing” the war with over a million casualties. Freeman dismisses Kellogg’s figures as propaganda-driven and detached from reality, warning that U.S. policy is being guided by wishful thinking rather than facts. He stresses that Russia’s objectives never included total conquest of Ukraine, but rather preventing NATO-aligned militarization on its border.

Freeman draws historical parallels to Vietnam, Afghanistan, and U.S. misreadings of China and the Middle East, noting a pattern of self-deception, silencing of experts, and political correctness leading to strategic blunders. He argues that wars are decided by will and endurance, not inflated body counts or propaganda victories.

Zelensky’s appeals for more Western aid are described as tailored to a “coalition of the deluded” in the West, but Freeman cautions that these tactics only harden Russian resolve. Ultimately, he warns that ignoring uncomfortable realities risks further damaging U.S. credibility and interests worldwide.