President Donald Trump will talk tough in a major national security policy speech Monday, hitting terrorism, extremism, and rogue nations like North Korea and Iran, and describing China as a formidable rival, officials said.
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Senior administration officials briefed journalists covering the White House, including LifeZette, on Sunday about the document Trump will reference — the statutorily required annual National Security Strategy (NSS). They stressed he will provide an optimistic vision that includes strengthening friendships, including the long U.S. alliance with NATO.
The NSS will also underscore Trump’s belief that the United States must come first in policy decisions concerning foreign strategies and trade. But Trump won’t pursue isolationism, the officials said.
“‘America First’ does not mean America alone,” one senior White House official said during the briefing. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.
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Trump’s national security policy, required to be outlined by law in the NSS document, was finished within one year of taking office, something White House officials said was a quick and major accomplishment in and of itself.
The president’s four priorities will be to protect the U.S. homeland; enhance prosperity for the American people; enhance worldwide peace through U.S. strength; and expand U.S. influence around the world.
The NSS covers trade as a national security issue, with an official noting that trade issues are discussed throughout the document.
The document will not portray China as a threat, but as a mostly friendly rival. Trump has often said China is key to solving the North Korean diplomatic problem, one that could unleash a major war if parties cannot come to an agreement about North Korean nuclear weapons.
“‘America First’ does not mean America alone” said one senior White House official.
While trade is discussed in the security document, climate change is not mentioned as a national security threat, something bound to cause controversy. This is a reversal of former President Barack Obama’s official stance that climate change was indeed a security issue. It also contradicts some thinkers in the Pentagon who have opined that global climate change could cause wars based on shrinking resources.
Trump will also address other issues such as terrorism, bioterrorism, rogue nations, transnational criminal organizations, and nuclear threats.
Officials said the largest weapon in the U.S. arsenal is its economy, the largest in the world — something that spreads its influence globally.
PoliZette White House writer Jim Stinson can be reached at [email protected].
(photo credit, homepage images: Donald Trump, CC BY-SA 2.0, by Gage Skidmore; photo credit, article images: Donald Trump, CC BY-SA 2.0, by Gage Skidmore)
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