Trump foreign policy speech: We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism. No American citizen will ever again feel that their needs come second to the citizens of a foreign country-4/27/16 Foreign Policy speech hosted by Center for National Interest

"We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism." Trump speech hosted by the Center for National Interest in D.C.

4/27/16, "Trump calls for US foreign policy shake-up, no more 'nation-building'," Fox News

"Donald Trump, in a highly anticipated speech on the heels of his primary-contest sweep across the Northeast, called Wednesday for a drastic shake-up in America’s foreign policy – including “getting out of the nation-building business” and demanding NATO allies pay their “fair share” or be left to “defend themselves.”

“It’s time to shake the rust off America’s foreign policy,” the Republican presidential front-runner said.

In what was billed as a major policy speech, Trump called for an “America first” approach. To that theme, Trump voiced skepticism toward international deals like NAFTA and said a Trump administration would not allow the U.S. to enter agreements that reduce America’s ability to control its own affairs. He panned what he described as the “false song of globalism.” 

The speech, read from a teleprompter and focused on policy, was also heavy on campaign-season slams against President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state. He called their policies “aimless” and destructive, and criticized them for not using the term “radical Islam.” 

“We went from mistakes in Iraq to Egypt to Libya to President Obama’s line in the sand in Syria,” Trump said. He said this has allowed the Islamic State to thrive -- but said, going forward, the U.S. is out of “nation-building.”

Rather, he said the focus will be on restoring stability, and containing the spread of radical Islam. “ISIS will be gone if I’m elected president,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, he stood by his controversial stance on NATO allies, complaining only four other member countries besides the U.S. spend the minimum 2 percent of GDP on defense.

“The countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defense…and if not, the U.S. must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves. We have no choice.” 

Trump said, if elected president, he would call for a summit with NATO allies and a separate summit with Asian allies to discuss common challenges – including tackling migration and Islamic terrorism. He broadly called for the U.S. to project strength – and better understand who its friends and enemies are. Regarding Russia and China, he said “we are not bound to be adversaries.” Trump sought to demonstrate his foreign policy chops as he tries to present a more presidential image – while increasingly turning his attention on the campaign trail to a general election battle he presumes will involve him and Clinton.  The billionaire businessman declared himself the “presumptive nominee” Tuesday night, after winning primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Maryland. He hasn’t shelved the trash talk and provocative language on the campaign, not yet anyway – repeatedly accusing Clinton of playing the “woman card” and mocking remaining GOP rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich....

Trump delivered the speech at Washington's stately Mayflower Hotel, even employing the rare use of a teleprompter....

While Trump's speech marks a departure from his usual rally routine of speaking off the cuff, consulting only hand-scrawled notes, his remarks in front of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee last month provided a test run of sorts, with Trump speaking from a prepared speech using a teleprompter."

"The Associated Press contributed to this report."

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"We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism"...

4/27/16, "Donald Trump's foreign policy: 'America first'," CNN, Jeremy Diamond and Stephen Collinson

"In keeping with his "America first" theme, Trump vowed that his administration's actions on trade would hinge on "jobs, income and security of the American worker."

"We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism," Trump said, explaining that he is skeptical of international agreements "that tie us up and bring America down."" 

Instead, Trump vowed not to enter into any international accords that would reduce the U.S.'s "ability to control our own affairs."
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"Under a Trump administration, no American citizen will ever again feel that their needs come second to the citizens of a foreign country," Trump said.

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And he laid out stringent circumstances under which he would deploy U.S. troops into combat.
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"I will not send our finest into battle unless necessary -- and I mean absolutely necessary," Trump said. "And I will do so only if we have a plan for victory with a capital V."
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Trump was introduced by Zalmay Khalilzad, President George W. Bush's former ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the permanent representative to the United Nations.... 
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Trump frequently referenced his negotiating abilities, calling himself "the only one" who can fix the country's problems. And he drew analogies between foreign policy and business. "Businesses do not succeed when they lose sight of their core interests and neither do countries," Trump said.
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The real estate mogul also expanded on his vision for a deeper American partnership with China and Russia, which have been viewed as on-again-off-again adversaries of the U.S.
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"We are not bound to be adversaries. We should seek common ground based on shared interests," Trump said of the two countries, though he has often railed against Beijing during the presidential race.

While Trump said "a strong and smart America is an America that will find a better friend in China," Trump also did not paint the partnership as necessary, noting that "we can both go our separate ways, if need be."
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He closed by expanding on his trademark slogan: "We must make America respected again. We must make America truly wealthy again and we must, we have to and we will make America great again," he declared. "And if we do that, perhaps this century can be the most peaceful and prosperous the world has ever ever known."...
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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. Trump has also called for imposing a 35% tariff on goods imported by American companies who outsource their manufacturing overseas.

Trump's most extensive remarks on foreign policy have come not in speeches on the campaign trail, but in interviews, including a pair of lengthy exchanges with The New York Times and The Washington Post's editorial board late last month. [Also,  "Donald J. Trump Remarks at AIPAC," 3/21/16.]
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Trump's speech Wednesday is the second time the real estate mogul has read a prepared speech. Trump first used the teleprompters he has so often derided on the campaign trail late last month when he addressed the annual gathering of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee."
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4/27/16, "US election 2016: Trump details 'America First' foreign plan," BBC

"New talks would be sought with the United States' allies in Nato, Mr Trump said, to try and reshape the organisation's structure and discuss a "rebalancing" of US financing towards it.

Mr Trump said he would also aim to hold talks with Russia to try and establish common ground, possibly over Islamic extremism.

"Some say the Russians can't be reasonable," he said. "I intend to find out."

China, he said, "respects strength, and by letting them take advantage of us economically like they are doing, we are losing all their respect". He said he would seek to "fix our relations with China" but did not suggest how.

On US allies

"The countries we defend must pay for the cost of this defence," he said. "If not, the US must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves. We have no choice.""...

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4/27/16, "Trump's Big Foreign Policy Speech: 3 Good, 3 Bad Things from Libertarian Perspective," Brian Doherty, reason.com, 

"Donald Trump's bigthink foreign policy speech today, hosted by the Center for National Interest in D.C., was only the second major address he's given from a teleprompter. (The first was also foreign policy related, to AIPAC back in March.)"...



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