Trump’s travels:
President speaks in Poland on eve of Group of 20 meeting.
WARSAW— President Trump said Thursday that Western civilization was at risk of decline, bringing a message about “radical Islamic terrorism” and “the creep of government bureaucracy” to the one European capital he views as most hospitable to his nationalist message.
Trump, who broke with tradition by attacking U.S. leaders and institutions while abroad, delivered his message in a speech to a friendly Polish crowd before a two-day summit meeting of Group of 20 leaders in Germany. Hours later, he flew to the German city of Hamburg.
Trump roused his Polish hosts by recounting the country’s history of resistance to invaders, including Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. But he said nothing about the right-wing government’s crackdown on judges and journalists and its refusal to accept more refugees, policies that have upset European Union leaders. He instead praised Poland as a defender of liberty in the face of existential threats.
“The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” he said. “Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?”
Pressed at an earlier news conference about Russian interference in the U.S. election, he said that “nobody really knows” if other countries might have been involved. He blamed President Barack Obama for not responding publicly after Obama learned about reports of possible election meddling last summer.
Trump delivered a mixed message on Russia.
He urged Russia to “cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes, including Syria and Iran.”
But he also said he was not entirely convinced that Russia was solely responsible for interference in the 2016 election.