In a nation beset by a pandemic, recession and civil strife — all worsened by the actions or inaction of President Donald Trump — it's easy to forget that his failures in office aren't just domestic. In a searing public letter, 73 top Republican former U.S. national security officials declare that Trump "has gravely damaged America's role as a world leader" and "failed to stand up for American values" around the world.

National security was once viewed as a Republican strong point. Moderate Republican voters should consider the damage Trump has done to that priority, and how much more he would do if given four more years in office.

The experts' statement is reminiscent of one four years ago, when, during Trump's 2016 campaign, 50 senior Republican national security officials signed a letter warning that Trump would be "the most reckless president in American history."

Consider what has happened since: Trump has praised and emboldened anti-democratic regimes like Russia and North Korea, while undermining relations with allies like Germany and Canada. He's threatened to leave NATO, the trans-Atlantic alliance that's kept Russia at bay for decades. He's pulled troops from Syria and announced troop reductions in Germany, delighting the Kremlin. He tried to leverage U.S. aid to force Ukrainian interference in America's elections, for which he was impeached. He publicly sided with Russian leader Vladimir Putin over U.S. intelligence regarding domestic election interference. And he's ignored evidence that Russia paid bounties for the murders of U.S. troops overseas.

Journalist Bob Woodward adds to this narrative in his book, "Rage," coming out next week. Woodward reports that former Defense Secretary James Mattis told colleagues that Trump "has no moral compass," and that Trump's other top officials believed him to be incompetent in protecting America's interests abroad.

The new warning released recently by the group of ex-security officials strikes similar themes. "Trump has withdrawn from global leadership and gravely damaged America's role in the world," John Bellinger III, State Department adviser under George W. Bush, wrote in an essay explaining the latest letter. "Trump is viewed by many world leaders, friends and foes, as a buffoon, unworthy of respect. America's reputation globally is in shreds."

Bellinger and the other signatories, Republicans all, pledge in the letter to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. "While some of us hold policy positions that differ from those of Joe Biden and his party, the time to debate those policy differences will come later," they write.

Republicans who care about national security and America's leadership standing in the world should strongly consider those words. And these: "For now, it is imperative that we stop Trump's assault on our nation's values and institutions and reinstate the moral foundations of our democracy."

REPRINTED FROM THE ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Photo credit: fancycrave1 at Pixabay