U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) came out forcefully against escalating the U.S. involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in remarks delivered at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2022, the largest right-of-center conference in the United States.
Gaetz chose to criticize not only Joe Biden, but also interventionist members of his own party who had advocated for a greater U.S. role in the ongoing Ukrainian conflict.
“Joe Biden, and even some who have taken this stage, say defending freedom in Ukraine has costs for America,” Gaetz declared. “Why should Americans have to pay the costs for freedom elsewhere when our own leaders won’t stand up for our freedom here?”
Gaetz, a self described libertarian populist, has staked out a largely non-interventionist foreign policy that puts America First. Gaetz opposed a 2021 measure in the U.S. House expressing support for the liberal government of Myanmar. Gaetz also supported a controlled withdrawal of U.S. forces from the war in Afghanistan.
Gaetz pointed to the lessons of the war in Afghanistan, which failed to replace the Taliban with an alternative government, in his landmark speech.
“We still have pain from Afghanistan misadventures we have to deal with,” Gaetz said. “I’m not for sending Americans to Ukraine.”
Gaetz went on to call out America’s political elites for their destructive conduct during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Putin didn’t need to send tanks, we could have just sent Dr. Fauci,” Gaetz said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has served as a senior government official since the Reagan administration, advising successive Presidents on disease strategy. He broadly oversaw the U.S. response to the pandemic and advocated more stringent measures which constrained the liberties of Americans and damaged economic growth.
