“I will seek a foreign policy that all Americans, whatever their party, can support. It’s time to invite new voices and new visions into the fold, something we have to do”.
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The speech comes as Trump has been working to professionalize his campaign with the addition of several new and experienced aides who have stressed a need to expand his policy shop and offer more specifics on his plans. “It has to be first. Has to be. That will be the foundation of every single decision that I will make”. Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, delivered the first major foreign-policy address of his campaign on Wednesday.
Trump’s discussions of foreign policy on the campaign trail have primarily focused on trade, with the billionaire candidate calling for the U.S.to renegotiate what he deems are “stupid” and unbalanced free trade deals.
A CNBC poll conducted earlier this month found “foreign policy and terrorism” the second most pressing issue among voters, behind only “the economy and unemployment”. The country can not be strong, he argued, without major reforms in those areas. “If President Obama’s goal had been to weaken America, he could not have done a better job”, Trump alleged.
In the same spirit, and also in stark contrast to Clinton, Trump repudiated mindless internationalism: Enough with agreements that limit the nation’s “ability to control our own affairs”. Are we going to bail on our allies if they don’t pay up, or are we going to be a reliable ally?
According to Mr Trump’s figures, only four of the 28 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member nations are paying the required 2 per cent of the GDP.
“Do you remember when the President made a long and expensive trip to Copenhagen, Denmark to get the Olympics for our country, and, after this unprecedented effort, it was announced that the United States came in fourth place”, he said.
Trump repeated his call to force US allies to pay more toward “the financial, political and human costs of our tremendous security burden”. “We have no choice”, he said. “Israel, our great friend and the one true democracy in the Middle East has been snubbed and criticized by an administration that lacks moral clarity”.
If Trump had a consistent theme, it was “America First” – a slogan with a troubled history. He said foolishness and arrogance have replaced logic, and added that it was a mistake to encourage the ouster of Middle East dictators who brought stability.
“We’re building other countries while weakening our own”, Trump said.
Mr Trump concluded that he will be “America’s greatest defender and most loyal champion”, and in order for the United States to promote peace across the world, he would have to “make America great again”.
With regard to ISIS, Trump said, “I have a simple message for them”. And they’ll be gone quickly.
He wants “a long-term plan to halt the spread and reach of radical Islam” and promises ISIS’s “days are numbered”. We have to be unpredictable.
Trump also said he would shift the US position with Russian Federation and China to improve those relations and negotiate “from a position of strength only”. Trump is expected to use a teleprompter, despite the fact that he has mocked his rivals for doing the same, declaring at one point: “If you’re running for president you shouldn’t be allowed to use a teleprompter”.
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Yet Trump will fight “when there is no alternative – but when America fights, it must only fight to win”.
