Trump promises a foreign policy rooted in ‘realism,’ but offers few specifics
PHILADELPHIA — Seeking to win over skeptics who question his temperament and command of foreign affairs, Donald Trump called for a major increase in defense spending Wednesday while also promising to put forward a foreign policy that would promote “peace through strength,” but also be rooted in “realism.”
In what his campaign billed as a major policy speech to the Union League in Philadelphia, the Republican presidential hopeful cast himself as a competent leader who would offer a fresh approach to diplomacy after years of “endless wars” that he said have wasted billions of dollars and left the nation less secure.
Pushing back against criticism from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and even many Republicans that he lacks the steady hand and readiness required of a commander in chief, Trump said he would seek to reassure allies and “make new friends” to “achieve a world with less conflict and more common ground.”
At the same time, the celebrity businessman turned presidential candidate presented himself as less hawkish than Clinton, whom he repeatedly described as “reckless” in her foreign policy approach.
“In a Trump administration, our actions in the Middle East will be tempered by realism,” Trump declared in remarks that he carefully read from a teleprompter. “The current strategy of toppling regimes, with no plan for what to do the day after, only produces power vacuums that are filled by terrorists.”
Linking his Democratic opponent to the “failed policies” that he said have kept the nation mired in conflict overseas and led to the rise of ISIS, Trump slammed Clinton as “trigger happy and unstable when it comes to war.” Trump stated, “Sometimes it has seemed like there wasn’t a country in the Middle East that Hillary Clinton didn’t want to invade, intervene or topple.”
“Unlike my opponent,” he added, “my foreign policy will emphasize diplomacy, not destruction.”
Echoing remarks he made Tuesday in North Carolina, Trump said that during his first 30 days in office, he would call on generals to come up with a plan to take on and destroy ISIS. Trump, who previously said he had a plan for defeating ISIS but did not want to make it public, offered no other details.
The speech came after two days of events intended to present Trump as more presidential that he often appears on the campaign trail.
And it also came just hours before both he and Clinton are set to appear, albeit separately, in a televised forum sponsored by MSNBC and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America focusing on national security and defense issues that some see as a preview of the first presidential debate on Sept. 26.
But Wednesday’s forum could present challenges for Trump, who, at the urging of his advisers, has sought to present a more coherent message by sticking to prepared remarks and more controlled events. The GOP candidate will be forced to speak more spontaneously — which is where he has sometimes gotten into trouble, especially on when it comes to his command of foreign policy.
In remarks that raised eyebrows among some longtime foreign policy hands, Trump responded Tuesday to a question during a town hall in Virginia from retired Gen. Mike Flynn, a key adviser and ally, about how he would approach the situation with North Korea. Speaking off the cuff, the GOP nominee suggested the U.S. should have no involvement in dealing with the increasingly “belligerent” country, which is working to develop nuclear weapons.
“What I’d do very simply is say, ‘China, this is your baby. This is your problem,’” Trump said, invoking another nation he’s frequently criticized. “You solve the problem, because China can solve that problem.”
On Wednesday, Trump was back on script, promoting a plan to end the budget sequester on defense spending — which Clinton also supports — and calling for a major increase in the nation’s military might, including more troops and new ships, planes and other equipment.
He cast it as a security issue, arguing deep cuts advocated by Obama and Clinton had only invited “more aggression … from our adversaries. Our adversaries are chomping at the bit,” Trump declared.
But as with many of Trump’s proposals, he was less clear on the details of how he would make it happen. The GOP nominee, who says he would balance the budget and begin to bring down a historic federal deficit, said he would pay for the defense buildup by cutting down on military “bureaucracy.” He also repeated his call for allies like Germany, Saudi Arabia and Japan to contribute to the cost of U.S. security efforts.
Trump said he would demand that all NATO nations pay their bills. He declared, “They will be happy to do it,” and added that he would be “respectful” in asking them to do so.
