AMERICA FIRST, STATES TRUMP
washington — In a rare formal policy speech, Republican front-runner Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to put American security “above all else” if elected president, warn- ing allies they would be left to defend themselves if they don’t “pay their fair share”. He also said halting the spread of ‘radical Islam’ would be a priority of his administration.
“Containing the spread of radical Islam must be a major foreign policy goal of the United States and indeed, the world,” Trump said.
“‘America first’ will be the major and overriding theme of my administration,” Trump said in a 38-minute address at a Washington hotel.
Trump swept five states in Tuesday’s Northeast primaries, bringing him tantalizingly close to securing the Republican nomination against Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Ohio Governor John Kasich. Hillary, meanwhile, is now 90 per cent of the way to her party’s nomination after four solid victories of her own.
Trump, the Republican businessman, pushed forward with his charge that Hillary is “playing the woman card”, telling
If Hillary were a man, I don’t think she’d get 5% vote. Only thing she’s got going is woman’s card... beautiful thing is women don’t like her.”
Donald Trump
If fighting for women’s healthcare and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman’s card, then deal me in.”
Hillary Clinton
CNN’s New Day in a telephone interview on Wednesday that “she does have the woman card” but said that “a lot of women don’t like Hillary, despite the card”.
Hillary said during her Tuesday night rally in Philadelphia that Trump had accused her of playing the “woman card”, telling supporters, “if fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the ‘woman card’, then deal me in”.
Trump sought to expand on foreign policy views that have lacked detail and worried experts in both parties. Still, he left major questions about his proposals unanswered, including his plan for defeating Daesh, casting his sparse details as a strategy for catching America’s enemies off guard.
“We must, as a nation, be more unpredictable,” Trump said. The businessman read his remarks off a teleprompter, a notable change for a candidate who typically speaks off the cuff and has mocked his rivals for giving prepared speeches.
Trump appeared to send a mixed message to America’s allies. He doubled down on his previous assertion that other countries must contribute to international security agreements, such as Nato, if they’re to get the benefits of American military protection. Yet he also assured allies that the US will have a renewed commitment to its overseas friends if he’s elected president.
“To our friends and allies, I say America is going to be strong again, America is going to be reliable again,” Trump said. “It’s going to be a great and reliable ally again.”
Many elements of Trump’s speech were similar to his typical campaign remarks, but he delivered them in a much more sober, restrained manner. Critics have said repeatedly that he has not shown an ability to act and sound “presidential”.
He spent much of his speech panning President Barack Obama’s handling of crises in the Middle East, saying the current administration was leaving a legacy of “weakness, confusion and disarray”.
“We’ve made the Middle East more unstable and chaotic than ever before,” Trump said. He singled out Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton’s handling of the deadly attacks on a US compound in Benghazi, Libya, and repeatedly linked the former secretary of state to what he sees as the failures of the Obama administration to show strength around the world.
Even before Trump’s address, Clinton’s campaign blasted out a news release saying the Republican leader has used “the most reckless rhetoric of any major presidential candidate in modern history”.
Still, Trump didn’t spare former Republican president George W. Bush, criticising his efforts to bring democracy to the Middle East and reaffirming his own opposition to the unpopular Iraq war. Drawing a contrast with hawkish Republicans, Trump said “war and aggression will not be my first instinct” and pledged to deploy combat forces only as a last resort.
Trump spoke to an invited audience of conservative-leaning national security experts, as well as some prominent foreign policy writers.
Trump’s advisers cast Wednesday’s speech as the first in a series of policy addresses aimed at calming the nerves of Americans who worry the businessman doesn’t have the experience to handle the range of responsibilities that land on a president’s desk. A speech on trade is expected soon.
Trump also vowed to seek better relations with Russia and China and said he would make US allies bear more of the financial burden for their defence.
With US-Russian relations strained over numerous issues including Moscow’s support for Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, Trump said “an easing of tensions with Russia from a position of strength” is possible.
Trump also said he would use US economic leverage to persuade China to rein in North Korea’s nuclear programme. “China respects strength and by letting them take advantage of us economically we have lost all their respect,” he said.
Trump said he would call separate summits of Nato and Asian allies to discuss a “rebalancing” of the US financial commitment to their defence. He was stern in charging that American allies have benefited from a US defence umbrella but have not paid their fair share.