With President Joe Biden on vacation in Delaware again, many wonder who is truly in charge of the United States as tensions continue mounting worldwide. Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) discussed this troubling news recently on Fox Business's Varney & Co., noting that "our adversaries are clearly seeing that nobody is in charge."
X (formerly Twitter) account, Trump War Room, posted the clip, which Rep. Waltz retweeted. The Florida Congressman noted that President Biden is "checked out" while Vice President Kamala Harris "is running around dodging the media," leaving his guess as to who is in charge to be Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Rep. @michaelgwaltz: Who's in charge? Our adversaries are clearly saying nobody's in charge. Harris is running around dodging the media. I guess it would be Blinken and Sullivan. pic.twitter.com/hvitPUIdSC
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 29, 2024
Rep. Waltz suggested that Sullivan, who is currently meeting China's Xi Jinping, is telling the Chinese leader, "We are desperate to find whatever concession we can to keep China, Taiwan, and that area quiet while we deal with the fiasco in the Middle East. I mean, that is essentially what [Biden] is doing over in Asia."
In the Middle East, meanwhile, Waltz noted, "We have had to move all of our ships out of the Red Sea to sit them off the coast of Iran on the hopes that Iran does not attack Israel again."
At the same time, the lack of American naval presence in the Red Sea allows the Houthis, who have been attacking shipping in the area for months, to operate with greater impunity.
"I mean, just some facts here: 30% of global shipping flows through the Red Sea. 80% has been diverted. Freight costs have doubled, if not tripled, and meanwhile, Egypt is completely reliant on fees flowing through the Suez Canal. This could destabilize Egypt as well," Waltz continued.
In February, JP Morgan provided greater detail on the impact of the Houthis' attacks on the Red Sea. Shipping fees could potentially increase fivefold as ships are forced to go around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, which increases voyages by up to 4,000 miles.
"And this all goes back to a feckless, conciliatory Iran policy, and yet Iran is trying to pull us back into negotiations again, which I think this administration absolutely would do. It has been bad decision after bad decision, and the Middle East is an absolute mess because of it," Waltz concluded.
