Harris-Walz presents a confusing foreign policy that touts successes amid a chaotic reality

Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris has yet to present a joint vision on foreign policy, as the rival campaigns of Trump and Vance increasingly focus on her performance on the border, Afghanistan and other related issues.

“Kamala Harris and the DNC have completely ignored national security, a dangerous trend that demonstrates their lack of real policy ideas,” Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital. “We’ve heard Trump’s name mentioned more than 150 times in their speeches, but we’ve heard nary a word about the national security threats facing America, and not a single mention of the withdrawal from Afghanistan that happened three years ago this week.”

“The world is a more dangerous place under Kamala Harris: Iran is threatening to attack Israel, China is on the move, and ISIS is on the rise again,” Waltz said. “Vibes and buzzwords like ‘weird’ will not deter these threats or rebuild our military. They are obsessed with slogans instead of solutions.”

“Contrast this to the RNC, where we devoted two entire days to making America safe and strong again,” Waltz added. “Biden and Harris have made this country less safe, and yet they offer no plan — and seem to have no interest — in protecting Americans.”

HARRIS DODGES FLIP-FLOP ATTACKS AS FACELESS CARRIERS SWAP KEY POSITIONS: ‘PLAYING POLITICS’

Democrats caused confusion this week with the release of a party platform — timed to coincide with the start of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) — that still referenced President Biden and his bid for a second term. Tucson, Arizona Mayor Regina Romero, co-chair of the DNC platform committee, explained that the platform was drafted “before the president passed the torch in an act of love and patriotism.”

In a statement on the Democrats’ website, the party explained that the platform was adopted on July 16, five days before Biden’s historic decision to step aside and let the party field another candidate to challenge Trump. The party said it “offers a vision for a progressive agenda that we can build on as a nation and as a party as we move into the next four years.”

Harris spoke about her foreign policy during her speech accepting the Democratic nomination on Thursday: In a speech that focused little on policy, Harris promised to pass the border security bill that was killed by Senate Republicans earlier this year.

Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Wurm)

Harris also pledged to take a lead on space-based initiatives and the development of artificial intelligence, promised to stand up to Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists, and reiterated her support for Israel while stressing the importance of Palestinian self-determination. She took aim at Trump and his relationship with other world leaders, including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. She also made it clear that as president, she would “stand strong on Ukraine.”

“The past three years have been marked by a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, a green light for Russia to invade Ukraine, maximum deference to Iran, and unprecedented hostility toward Israel,” Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former NSC official, told Fox News Digital.

“Add to that a wide open border for terrorists and a war on American energy that gives our enemies an advantage, and she has helped oversee one of the worst foreign policies in history.”

KAMALA HARRIS GETS POWER FOR REFUSING TO SPEAK TO PRESS AND NOT RELEASING POLICY POSITIONS

This video footage from South First Responders shows charred and damaged cars along a desert road after an attack by Hamas terrorists on the Tribe of Nova Trance music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (Southern first responders via AP)

Republicans have repeatedly argued that Harris’ foreign policy plans are clear based on her record as vice president and the fact that Harris is closely aligned with Biden’s own policies. Her lack of a published platform clearly laying out her plans for a first term has made it difficult for her to counter that.

Harris told Fox News in a statement earlier this week that “re-entering that deal is not our focus,” referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) “Iran nuclear deal” — an apparent break with the Biden administration’s major effort to pass such a plan in its first two years, though that effort has flagged in the past year.

Harris unveiled a comprehensive, albeit criticized, economic plan ahead of the DNC in Chicago this week, and she is expected to continue unveiling parts of her policy plan in a similar manner now that the convention is over.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei addresses the media during parliamentary elections in Tehran, Iran, on May 10. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Harris has reiterated in recent statements her support for certain policies implemented under the Biden administration, such as the administration’s handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Republicans have fiercely criticized the government’s full withdrawal from Afghanistan. Harris’ campaign said the vice president “strongly supported” the withdrawal by asking “probing questions” during deliberations. However, a former military official told The Washington Post that he did not recall Harris playing “a significant role.”

Harris has positioned herself as a vice president who is deeply involved in the administration’s most important business. In 2021, she told CNN she was the “last person in the room” with Biden before he decided to withdraw U.S. troops, effectively ending more than 20 years of war in Afghanistan.

KAMALA HARRIS’ ECONOMIC PLAN IS ABOUT TACKLING ‘SCANDALOUS ACTORS’: GENE SPERLING

A U.S. Air Force plane takes off from Kabul airport on August 30, 2021. – Rockets were fired at Kabul airport on August 30, as U.S. troops rushed to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuate allies amid threats of attacks from the Islamic State. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI/AFP) (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images) (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Times reported in 2021 that Harris played a “at least visually” central role in Biden’s plans in Afghanistan, attending “most of his security briefings” and urgent intelligence sessions as the Taliban rose to power after the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

According to The Times, Harris walked a tightrope in her attempt to narrow the gap between her and Biden over the policies at the time, meaning that eventually “the execution of the withdrawal will also be added to Harris’ resume.”

Harris has also voiced her support for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, reportedly telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he needs to reach a deal and bring hostages home.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers statements to the media at The Kirya, home to Israel’s Defense Ministry, following a meeting in Tel Aviv on October 12, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

“I’ve said it many times, but it bears repeating. Israel has the right to defend itself, and how it does that matters,” Harris said after her meeting with Netanyahu the same week she announced her presidential bid in July.

“It is time for this war to end, and it must end in a way that keeps Israel safe, releases all hostages, ends the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, and allows the Palestinian people to exercise their right to freedom, dignity and self-determination,” she said, according to Axios.

“As I just said to Prime Minister Netanyahu, it’s time to make this deal. Let’s make the deal,” she said. “So that we can have a ceasefire to end the war. Let’s bring the hostages home. And let’s provide the Palestinian people with the much-needed aid.”

PRO-TRUMP GROUP LAUNCHES $500K AD CAMPAIGN TO CONSULT KAMALA HARRIS ON BORDER CRISIS AHEAD OF DNC SPEECH

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second from left, looks at a map during his visit to the Ukrainian 110th Mechanized Brigade in Avdiivka, the site of heavy fighting with Russian forces in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on December 29, 2023. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via AP)

The issue Harris finds most contentious and difficult is her role in addressing mass immigration at the southern border. Harris has emphasized during her campaign speeches that she has “prosecuted” and “won” against transnational gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers, while claiming that Trump “doesn’t do what he says.”

The Trump and Vance campaigns targeted Harris for her work as a “border czar” and her failure to have a significant impact on mass migration across the southern border and the massive fentanyl trade that continues to take place in the country.

Harris’ campaign and his surrogates have stressed that Harris has never served as border czar, but has instead focused on working with countries south of the border to address the root causes of that mass migration.

Migrants walk along the highway through Suchiate, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, as they travel north toward the U.S. border on July 21. (AP photo/Edgar H. Clemente)

According to the campaign, fewer people are crossing the border now than before. The figures from Customs and Border Protection seem to confirm this: the number of land border crossings peaked at around 300,000 at the end of 2023, but fell to just over 100,000 in July. That is the lowest number since February 2021.

Harris also said she will bring back and sign “the border security bill that killed Donald Trump,” referring to the bill that Senate Republicans blocked earlier this year. Republicans argued the bill was “worse than doing nothing” and criticized their counterparts for failing to pass a House-backed border bill that addressed Republican priorities.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Democrats accuse Republicans of blocking the bill at Trump’s behest. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters they did so “he could exploit the issue during the campaign.”

Danielle Wallace of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.