Kasich blasts Trump’s foreign policy approach

WASHINGTON — Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Thursday that President Donald Trump has embraced a “wrecking ball” approach to foreign policy — one that could alienate key U.S. allies.

“I think we have been pursuing an ‘America alone’ policy — not an ‘America first’ one,” he said during an appearance at the National Press Club that he scheduled to express his concerns. “We have been bullying countries all over the world and to me, it never makes sense for America to adopt a wrecking ball strategy.”

Kasich said he wasn’t expressing concerns “to further some political ambition” because he has “no clue” whether he’ll run for president. But, he said, “I’m concerned about what I have observed in terms of America and our foreign policy.”

“Nobody functions very well alone,” he said. “We do well when we work in teams.”

The Republican governor said he was concerned about the U.S. withdrawal from several programs — the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, the Paris Accords and the Iranian nuclear agreement. And he said he was shocked at Trump’s behavior during the G-7 Summit last month, when Trump refused to sign a communique and called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “very dishonest and weak” in a tweet.

“Insults, unacceptable behavior in my opinion, and not even an agreement on a communique,” Kasich said, adding that he was unhappy to see tariffs imposed on allies Canada and Mexico as well.

Kasich — who later reiterated his concerns on CNN with Wolf Blitzer — said he was concerned Trump’s bombastic behavior at NATO might undermine an alliance “that has kept the peace for 70 years.”

“There is growing disunity,” he said. “A growing sense of a lack of trust, a growing sense of ‘can we depend on the United States at particular moments of time.’ … The fraying of relationships has consequences.”

Kasich made his comments during a day-long swing through D.C. While on CNN, he defended U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, the embattled Urbana congressman who was accused last week of knowing about reports of sexual abuse at Ohio State University but doing nothing about it. Kasich said that when he learned about the accusations, he said a prayer that “this would pass, this would all be resolved.”

Kasich said Jordan has “always been pleasant. He’s not a close friend but we are friends, and when I heard this I was sad.”

Kasich also offered criticism of Trump’s nowrevoked policy of separating families of undocumented immigrants when arrested, saying many of the families are seeking asylum because they feared for their lives in their home country. “What we need are more asylum judges,” he said, adding that they also need facilities to house families while the U.S. determines whether the immigrants are truly at risk.