“We must abandon the failed policy of nation-building and regime change that Hillary Clinton pushed in Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Syria,”
Trump said at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
He said toppling regimes without sufficient plans creates
“power vacuums that are filled simply by terrorists.”
He said he would
“break the cycle of regime change”
and
“abandon the policy of reckless regime change favored by my opponent.”
As recently as 2019, Trump doubled down.
“Our policy of never-ending war, regime change, and nation-building
is being replaced by the clear-eyed pursuit of American interests.
It is the job of our military to protect our security,
not to be the policeman of the world.”
he posted on social media that same year.