Trump still speaking campaign language
Iran is one of seven countries whose nationals are temporarily banned from entering the US in accordance with a decree signed by US President Donald Trump. Teheran, meanwhile, issued visas for a US wrestling team to attend the Freestyle World Cup competi
Former Norwegian PM held over visa
A former Norwegian leader said he was held at a Washington airport for one hour because of an Iranian visa in his passport, an incident he described as “provocative”.
“There is no reason to be afraid of a former head of government who has been on official visits several times to this country, including in the White House,” Kjell Magne Bondevik, 69, said on Thursday.
Bondevik, who served as prime minister twice between 1997 and 2005, said immigration authorities held him on Tuesday for an hour and questioned him over an Iranian visa in his diplomatic passport.
Ambiguity was a hallmark of Trump’s campaign. He has said he believes the US should not tip its hand on national security matters. But the fact that Trump is using vague language in private discussions has left both allies and officials in his administration uncertain whether he has policies in mind to back up his rhetoric.
A town hall for National Security Council staff on Tuesday offered few clues on the administration’s approach.
One official in attendance said that when Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, and his deputy, KT McFarland, were asked to describe specifically what the president’s “America First” mantra would mean for policy, they largely reiterated Trump’s campaign assurances that he could put US interests ahead of those of other countries.
Trump has moved swiftly on the immigration-related national security issues that were the centerpiece of his campaign. He ordered the government to start work on his proposed wall along the US-Mexico border. He also signed an immigration executive order, though the decision-making was tightly held in the West Wing and the initial implementation chaotic.
“The team that we’ve seen in action over the last few weeks is the White House team,” said Nicholas Burns, a longtime US diplomat and professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. “That team is breaking a lot of china.” Briefly