Former President Donald Trump dealt harshly with some of America’s adversaries during his first term, threatening military action and choking the economy. As Trump faces re-election, his opponents are panicking and trying to remove him from the White House.

Trump is in a tight race against Vice President Kamala Harris in next week’s presidential election. The countries that make up the so-called “axis of evil”, especially Iran and China, have made it clear that they do not want President Trump to win. A review of multiple reports suggests that this is partly due to anger over President Trump’s actions in his first term and anxiety about what he will do in his second term. (Related: President Trump reportedly told Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel needs to end the war in Gaza by the time he takes office)

It is an open secret that Iran and China have attempted to interfere in elections in the past, as has been the case this year. Both countries have taken various steps to block President Trump’s bid for the White House. This is especially true for Iran, which attempted to kill President Trump and is conducting cyberwarfare operations against his campaign.

“When the Islamic Republic calls for ‘death to America’ it continues to mean what it says, but there is only one current presidential candidate the regime and its terrorist network is seeking to kill: Donald Trump. ” Benam Ben Taleblou, an Iranian affairs scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It was born out of a clear understanding on the part of the administration that he was a real target of pressure.”

President Trump’s approach to Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism and an accomplice in the killing of dozens of U.S. soldiers in recent years, was described by the administration as “maximum pressure.” campaign. President Trump withdrew from the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal in 2018, arguing that he had failed to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons and had allowed the country to make billions of dollars in sanctions relief. He replaced the deal with harsh sanctions that cut off many of the country’s revenue sources.

“Trump has shown he is willing to hit them hard. This is not the same approach we are seeing from the current administration, which is why Iran remains focused on Trump.” Simone Redin, a former senior Pentagon official and Strauss Center fellow, told DCNF.

Although Iran’s terrorist network was starved of funds due to President Trump’s approach, it still displayed incredible hostility toward the United States and launched multiple attacks against U.S. forces in the Middle East in the following year. . As attacks escalated, President Trump decided to launch a drone strike during a visit to Iraq in 2020 to assassinate Iran’s top commander, Qasem Soleimani.

Soleimani was a key figure in Iran’s military, and his death greatly angered the Iranian government.

“The Soleimani attack… exposed some of Iran’s vulnerabilities,” Ledeen told DCNF.

Since then, Iran has launched multiple failed assassination plots against President Trump through various actors. Reports on the issue appear to have escalated in recent months as the election approaches. In September, U.S. intelligence officials briefed the Trump campaign on past failed assassination operations.

Iran has also been conducting various cyberwarfare campaigns against President Trump ahead of the election, some of which have been successful. Iranian-backed hackers gained access to internal Trump campaign documents, particularly those related to research on Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, which were leaked to various media outlets and reporters in August and September. Only some of them made their materials public. (Related: Britain’s Socialist Party leader insists he’s still good friends with Trump after party staff organize trip to help Harris)

Iranian hackers also accessed and leaked numerous internal Trump campaign emails, which infiltrated public reporting. In late September, the United States indicted three Iranian operatives for the act.

“If Trump comes back, I would expect Iran to step up its threat,” Ledeen told DCNF. “A second term under President Trump will bring new pressures, and Iranian leaders know it. They are becoming more desperate and aggressive as they seek to seize leadership in the region. I will, but I won’t be in the same position as I was before.”

If Trump wins, he will have to prepare to confront Tehran again, but he has made it clear that his claims are not directed at the Iranian people suffering under the authoritarian Islamic regime. However, Taleble told DCNF.

“While one of former President Trump’s strengths was his ability to keep his opponents guessing, it is likely that a future Trump administration will return to a maximum pressure policy and begin to apply meaningful and sustained pressure on oil. I think that’s at least clear,’ and petrochemical exports and financial flows,” Taburu told DCNF.

“What a future Trump administration will need to prepare for is how the Iranian government will tend to respond to pressure with its own pressure,” Tabul said. “That’s why, to offset any escalation by the regime and do the morally and politically astute thing, Trump needs to combine maximum pressure on the regime with a practical policy of maximum support for the Iranian people. there will be.”

The Trump campaign told DCNF that Iran is “terrified” of Trump’s second term as president.

“Iran’s terrorist regime loves the weakness and stupidity of Kamala Harris,” said spokesman Stephen Chan.

According to multiple reports, China is also very wary of President Trump’s second term. Chinese officials reportedly fear Trump because he seems more unpredictable than Harris.

US President Donald Trump attends a welcoming ceremony with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China on November 9, 2017. (Photo by Thomas Peter Poole/Getty Images)

The Chinese government refuses to publicly say with whom it wants to do business. But officials said they had previously privately expected President Joe Biden to defeat Trump in the election because they felt Biden was less of a threat. spoke Contributed to the Wall Street Journal in early October . (Related article: Biden’s top intelligence official is reportedly considering whether to call his resignation within the government even if Harris wins)

After Biden withdrew from the race in July, officials shifted their priorities to Harris, even though neither candidate is likely to be as friendly to China, according to the Journal. China has long expressed anger at Republican and Democratic administrations and launched cyberattack operations against both parties.

But President Trump’s strict policies in particular have caused headaches for officials, and similar policies could be expected if he wins again.

“They know a lot about what Donald Trump’s approach is to government, foreign affairs, and trade negotiations, and they know a lot about what Trump has said throughout the campaign.” said Steve Yates, a senior fellow at the First Policy Institute. DCNF. “It’s a challenge for them.”

The fear among Chinese officials is that if re-elected, Trump could start a second trade war. During his first term, President Trump imposed heavy tariffs on China, sharply increasing taxes on some Chinese imports and blocking Americans from buying Chinese products. President Trump’s goal was to balance the U.S.-China trade relationship and encourage China to buy American products.

President Trump is already publicly considering the idea of ​​imposing 60% tariffs on Chinese goods if he regains the White House, something Beijing wants to avoid.

US officials said they saw evidence China is trying to interfere in this year’s elections. Last week, it was reported that Chinese-backed hackers were targeting Trump and Vance’s cell phone data. It’s not clear what information, if any, was stolen, but anything stolen could benefit the Chinese government. Harris’ staff were also reportedly targeted.

A report released last week by Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center said a number of “bot” social media accounts linked to China are also targeting Republican congressional candidates.

“While not necessarily resulting in high levels of engagement, these efforts demonstrate sustained Chinese experimentation.” [to] It will have a full impact on American politics,” wrote Clint Watts, general manager of the Technology Company Agency. post Regarding the report.

The Chinese embassy in the United States did not respond to a request for comment.

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