On foreign policy, Trump still speaking campaign language
WASHINGTON — For all the White House’s early bravado, President Donald Trump has taken office with few concrete plans for how to make good on his pledge to unravel President Barack Obama’s foreign policy and tackle some of the biggest national security challenges facing his administration.
In calls with European leaders, Trump is said to have described his plans for confronting the Islamic State group with the same hard-charging but vague rhetoric he used in the campaign, promising strong, but unspecified action.
Pressed privately by allies about how he plans to pursue a better relationship with Russia, Trump sticks with his public assertion that a better relationship with Moscow would be beneficial for the West. But he hasn’t said how he plans to get there.
He’s indicated in some of those same conversations that while he believes the Iranian nuclear accord is a bad deal, he will not move quickly to withdraw, according to U.S. officials and others with knowledge of Trump’s discussions with world leaders.
Ambiguity was a hallmark of Trump’s campaign. He has said he believes the U.S. should not tip its hand on national security matters. But the fact that Trump is using vague language in private discussions has left both allies and officials in his administration uncertain whether he has policies in mind to back up his rhetoric.
A town hall for National Security Council staff on Tuesday offered few clues on the administration’s approach.
One official in attendance said that when Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, and his deputy, KT McFarland, were asked to describe specifically what the president’s “America First” mantra would mean for policy, they largely reiterated Trump’s campaign assurances that he could put U.S. interests ahead of those of other countries.
Three U.S. officials and three others with knowledge of the White House’s foreign policy dealings spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were restricted from discussing the president’s private conversations and other internal matters publicly.
Trump has moved swiftly on the immigration-related national security issues that were the centerpiece of his campaign. He ordered the government to start work on his proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He also signed a refugee and immigration executive order, though the decision-making was tightly held in the West Wing and the initial implementation chaotic. A federal judge late Friday put the order on hold; the White House promised to appeal.
“The team that we’ve seen in action over the last few weeks is the White House team,” said Nicholas Burns, a longtime U.S. diplomat and professor at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. “That team is breaking a lot of china.”
Trump, who spent his career in business before running for president, has shown keen interest in trade and America’s economic standing with other countries in his discussions with foreign leaders. But his direction on many other foreign policy issues remains hazy.
He has pledged to destroy the Islamic State group, but hasn’t said whether he will commit U.S. combat troops to do so. He’s asked for a 30 day review of the policy.
He said he would stop North Korea from building a long-range nuclear missile, but hasn’t said how. And he’s made little mention of Afghanistan, where about 8,400 U.S. troops are still fighting America’s longest war.