"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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And he laid out stringent circumstances under which he would deploy U.S. troops into combat.
.........
"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."
.......
Trump
was introduced by Zalmay Khalilzad, President George W. Bush's former
ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the permanent representative to the
United Nations....
............
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.
............
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.
...........
"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."
.............
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."...
..........
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.]
..........
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."
...........
============
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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