Donald Trump delivered a major foreign policy speech yesterday, just days after he said Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton founded Daesh (ISIS). The speech, delivered in the midwestern city of Youngstown, Ohio, outlined his plans to defeat Daesh and the threat of terrorism in general. #Youngstown trended on Twitter last night during and after the speech.
The following are some major takeaways from the speech, based on a transcript from Trump’s campaign website.
1 Trump believes “radical Islamic terrorism” is the primary strategic threat threat facing the US
“In the 20th century, the United States defeated Fascism, Nazism and Communism. Now, a different challenge threatens our world: Radical Islamic Terrorism,” he said. Trump cited the fact that there has been a Daesh attack every 84 hours in Europe this summer as evidence of this.
2 Trump still blames Hillary and Obama for the rise of Daesh
“Libya was stable. Syria was under control. Egypt was ruled by a secular President and an ally of the United States. Iraq was experiencing a reduction in violence. The group that what would become what we now call ISIS was close to being extinguished,” said Trump when describing the Middle East before Obama took office.
Trump said the current chaos in the aforementioned states began with Obama’s “apology tour,” slamming Obama’s remarks that the US was “arrogant,” “dismissive,” and “derisive,” and going after Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo in particular. “Instead of condemning the oppressions of women and gays in many Muslim nations, and the systematic violations of human rights, President Obama tried to draw an equivalency between our human rights record and theirs,” Trump said.
3 Trump wants to end nation-building, focus on fighting terrorism with whoever is willing to cooperate
“The era of nation-building will be ended,” he said. To this end, Trump called on the US to work with Israel, Egypt and Jordan to defeat Daesh. Trump also listed NATO as an ally, perhaps doing some damage control regarding the criticism he received when he said NATO states will have to pay more for their defense if they want the US’s help.
More out of the mainstream, Trump again endorsed working more closely with Russia to fight terrorism. “I also believe that we could find common ground with Russia in the fight against ISIS. They too have much at stake in the outcome in Syria, and have had their own battles against Islamic terrorism,” said Trump.
4 Ideological warfare, support for gay and women’s rights?
Trump called for an ideological war against radical Islam, likening this to US efforts to counter communist ideology in the Cold War. Perhaps outflanking liberals to the left, Trump said the fight against Islamic radicalism will help gays, women and other minorities. “While my opponent (Clinton) accepted millions of dollars in Foundation donations from countries where being gay is an offense punishable by prison or death, my Administration will speak out against the oppression of women, gays and people of different faith,” said Trump.
Trump also said he’d be a friend to “Muslim reformers.” This language differs from the usual “moderate Muslims” talk we hear. This may indicate that Trump believes Islam as a civilization must change, not simplify amplify its less radical strands.
5 Build the wall
Trump says the common thread between 9/11, the San Bernardino attack, the Orlando gay nightclub shooting, and other attacks is “they have involved immigrants or the children of immigrants.” He also noted Daesh’s recruitment of refugees to commit attacks. To tackle this issue, Trump called for more stringent screening measures to be put in place, but said to allow time for this to happen the US must “temporarily suspend immigration from some of the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world,” claiming screening cannot take place in certain regions.
Trump did not mention his past endorsement of a ban on foreign Muslims entering the US, instead opting to focus on specific regions, not religion. It’s certainly a more politically correct approach.
6 Common sense national security, political correctness, and a softer Trump?
And speaking of political correctness, Trump said warning signs in the San Bernardino, Boston marathon and other attacks were ignored because they dealt with the sensitive issue of Muslims in the US. To correct this, Trump endorsed the creation of a Commission on Radical Islam “which will include reformist voices in the Muslim community who will hopefully work with us. We want to build bridges and erase divisions.”
Trump may really believe in such a solution, but it’s also a clear attempt to erase the Islamophobia and racism allegations he has received throughout the campaign.
Latest major poll averages from Real Clear Politics have Clinton ahead of Trump by 6.8%.
Adam Lucente
