But even a cursory look at the potential 2024 GOP presidential field belies the “unpatriotic Republicans abandon Ukraine” narrative. Right now, the field officially consists of Donald Trump and Nikki Haley. The field will likely also include Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Chris Sununu, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson, Glenn Youngkin, and Liz Cheney.

Yet all of the above are basically Mitt Romney-style hawks — except for Trump.

And for DeSantis to fit the imagined role of some kind of foreign policy maverick, one must ignore his actual record. As the estimable Daniel Larison notes, “DeSantis’s overall record is that of a hardliner (and hardliners love him), and even his criticisms of Biden on Ukraine are framed in hawkish terms.”

[Trump is unabashedly critical of support for Ukraine in the war, but as Carden reminds people, Trump also appointed hawks to key positions in his administration, too. Trump’s criticism mainly reflects his contention that the war wouldn’t have occurred if he’d been re-elected due to his willingness to engage Russia. — Ed]