Chris Coons Draws Backlash Over Claim US Is No Longer Free World Leader Since 1776
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 26
Chris Coons Draws Backlash Over Claim US Is No Longer Free World Leader Since 1776
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 26
Summary
Chris Coons said at an August town hall that the United States is “no longer” the leader of the free world and that Volodymyr Zelenskyy now fills that role.
The Delaware Democrat tied the remark to Ukraine’s war effort, arguing Zelenskyy is putting his country’s men and women “on the line for freedom” and saying the U.S. must earn that status back.
Nick Adams, a Trump administration envoy, called the comment “America last,” while the White House rapid-response account and conservative critics on X branded Coons anti-American.
The dispute lands as Zelenskyy meets European allies in Belgrade seeking more air-defense aid and as the Senate passes a broad new sanctions bill targeting Moscow.
Coons has backed Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, repeatedly supporting military aid and tougher sanctions while Trump pushes for an end to the more than four-year war.