FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 2, 2020
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org
WASHINGTON, DC—After President Trump tested positive for COVID-19, the U.S. national security apparatus announced that it is on the lookout for how foreign adversaries will exploit the president’s diagnosis. Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin H. Friedman issued the following statement in response:
“Be reassured: ‘American adversaries’ will not try to exploit the president’s coronavirus diagnosis to gain territory or attack the United States or its allies. That is not how international politics works. Foreign leaders do not make decisions about whether to start wars by measuring every perturbation in the United States. Deterrence is not so brittle.
“Also, the President’s sickness, even if he has symptoms, has no bearing on the U.S. military’s posture. Radar still works. Missiles still fly. No one is more likely to get the jump on the United States today than they were yesterday.
“Whether or not U.S. adversaries try to use this diagnosis for propaganda value is another matter. Some surely will. But that has no particular bearing on U.S. security and should not be conflated with a military attack.
“Every time something bad happens in the United States—the coronavirus outbreak, widespread protests and riots, now this—commentary arises saying our enemies might exploit our distraction for some strategic gain. This claim is often made in stories like this, and nothing materializes. We should remember that now and in the future.”
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