I realize many are
skeptical that Trump is going to do anything that he says he is going to do.
But look at the
risks the man is taking. Look at the limbs he is willing to stroll
confidently out upon. This is genuinely remarkable in American politics:
Donald Trump outlined an unabashadly noninterventionist approach
to world affairs Monday, telling The Washington Post's editorial board that he
questions the need for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has formed
the backbone of Western security policies since the Cold War.
The meeting at The Post covered a range of issues, including media libel laws, violence at his rallies, climate change, the NATO and the U.S. presence in Asia.
Speaking ahead of a major address on foreign policy later Monday in front of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Trump said he advocates an aggressive U.S. posture in the world with a light footprint. In spite of unrest abroad, especially in the Middle East, Trump said the United States must look inward and steer its resources toward rebuilding domestic infrastructure.
"I do think it’s a different world today, and I don’t think we should be nation-building anymore," Trump said. "I think it’s proven not to work, and we have a different country than we did then. We have $19 trillion in debt. We’re sitting, probably, on a bubble. And it’s a bubble that if it breaks, it’s going to be very nasty. I just think we have to rebuild our country."
He added: "I watched as we built schools in Iraq and they’re blown up. We build another one, we get blown up. We rebuild it three times and yet we can’t build a school in Brooklyn. We have no money for education because we can’t build in our own country. At what point do you say, 'Hey, we have to take care of ourselves?' So, I know the outer world exists and I’ll be very cognizant of that. But at the same time, our country is disintegrating, large sections of it, especially the inner cities."
The meeting at The Post covered a range of issues, including media libel laws, violence at his rallies, climate change, the NATO and the U.S. presence in Asia.
Speaking ahead of a major address on foreign policy later Monday in front of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Trump said he advocates an aggressive U.S. posture in the world with a light footprint. In spite of unrest abroad, especially in the Middle East, Trump said the United States must look inward and steer its resources toward rebuilding domestic infrastructure.
"I do think it’s a different world today, and I don’t think we should be nation-building anymore," Trump said. "I think it’s proven not to work, and we have a different country than we did then. We have $19 trillion in debt. We’re sitting, probably, on a bubble. And it’s a bubble that if it breaks, it’s going to be very nasty. I just think we have to rebuild our country."
He added: "I watched as we built schools in Iraq and they’re blown up. We build another one, we get blown up. We rebuild it three times and yet we can’t build a school in Brooklyn. We have no money for education because we can’t build in our own country. At what point do you say, 'Hey, we have to take care of ourselves?' So, I know the outer world exists and I’ll be very cognizant of that. But at the same time, our country is disintegrating, large sections of it, especially the inner cities."
Granted, George Bush ran
for office on "a humble foreign policy" and we all know how that
turned out. But at least we know he's not going to go to war with Russia over
Ukraine. It should be very interesting to hear what he has to say to AIPAC
later today. I'm going to guess it won't be the ritual genuflection that is customary
for Republican candidates.
I mean, he's openly talking about shutting down NATO. This is serious stuff.
UPDATE: Trump speech at AIPAC.
I mean, he's openly talking about shutting down NATO. This is serious stuff.
UPDATE: Trump speech at AIPAC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHmINZRwiZU&feature=player_embedded
