Obama hits back at Trump
President accuses tycoon of ‘lack of preparedness’ over foreign policy
DONALD Trump’s suggestion that the US might not come to the defence of Nato allies is another sign of his “lack of preparedness” on foreign policy, said President Barack Obama.
In an interview aired yesterday over Trump’s recent comments to an American national newspaper, in which the presidential nominee suggested that allies who have not paid their Nato dues would not be guaranteed of getting help if Russia invaded, Mr Obama said they were an admission that the US might not live by Nator’s “most central tenet”.
He said Mr Trump’s comments were “an indication of the lack of preparedness that he has been displaying when it comes to foreign policy”.
Nato members promise that an attack against any of them is considered an assault against all.
Mr Trump said that he would not predict the US response in the case of a Russian attack on smaller Nato allies like Estonia or Latvia. “If they fulfil their obligations to us, the answer is ‘yes’,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Obama responded: “There is a big difference between challenging our European allies to keep up their defence spending, particularly at a time when Russia’s been more aggressive, and saying to them, ‘You know what? We might not abide by the central tenet of the most important alliance in the history of the world’.”
In contrast, Mr Obama said that presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of state in his first term, is supremely capable of taking over the reins of power in January.
“I genuinely believe that there has never been a candidate better prepared for the presidency than Hillary Clinton,” Mr Obama said.
Asked what it takes to be an effective president, Mr Obama cited the ability to build a team of talented, hard-working people and “make sure they are all moving in the same direction”. Another factor, he said, was “personal discipline in terms of doing your homework, and knowing your subject matter, and being able to stay focused”.
Mr Obama’s comments to CBS News’ Face the Nation came on the eve of the opening of the Democratic National Convention. He is scheduled to speak on Wednesday.
Earlier, Mr Trump warned countries like France, that he says are compromised by terrorism, may be subjected to the “extreme vetting” that he proposes to deter attacks in the US. When asked if his proposal might lead to a point when few people from overseas are allowed into the US, Mr Trump said: “Maybe we get to that point”.
He added, in the interview on NBC’s Meet The Press: “We have to be smart and we have to be vigilant and we have to be strong.”
For months Mr Trump has called for a temporary ban on foreign Muslims seeking to enter the US and criticised the Obama administration for continuing to admit refugees from Syria.
Mr Trump said the US “must immediately suspend immigration from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism until such time as proven vetting mechanisms have been put in place” – notably leaving out any reference to Muslims or to Syria or Iraq.