Trump Lays Out World View in Which Economic Strength Bolsters Security President criticizes predecessors’ nation-building efforts in speech; carrots and sticks for China and Russia By Michael C. Bender
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-lays-out-world-view-in-which-economic-strength-bolsters-security-1513638012?mod=cx_picks&cx_navSource=cx_picks&cx_tag=video&cx_artPos=5#cxrecs_s
He said previous presidents “presided over one disappointment after another” when it came to protecting America.“They surrendered our sovereignty to foreign bureaus in far away capitals,” Mr. Trump said.“But last year,” he added, “all that began to change.”
Declaring that “economic security is national security,” President Donald Trump aimed to reframe a national debate over his domestic economic and trade policies by thrusting them into a national-security context.
“Economic vitality, growth and prosperity at home is absolutely necessary for American power and influence abroad,” Mr. Trump said on Monday as he unveiled his new national-security strategy. “Any nation that trades away its prosperity for security will end up losing both.”
Recounting a year of stock-market gains and unemployment-rate decreases, Mr. Trump on Monday alleged that his predecessors prioritized nation building abroad over economic growth at home. He said his new national-security strategy—released on Monday as mandated by Congress—provided a needed contrast, and included plans for cutting taxes, rebuilding roads and bridges and building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The president on Monday also focused on a more-traditional definition of national security, including China and Russia in a list of threats he said included terrorist groups, transnational criminal networks and “rogue regimes,” a phrase the president has used to describe North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The White House’s new national-security strategy calls for strengthening the U.S. military by expanding missile-defense capabilities and adding to the nuclear-weapons arsenal.
From the campaign trail, China was a frequent target of blame from Mr. Trump for the decline in some manufacturing sectors. But in the White House, the president has backed away from some of that criticism as he has sought to tighten his bond with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr. Trump also has maintained cordial relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, prompting criticism from within his own party amid revelations of Russian tampering in the 2016 presidential election.
In the national-security strategy, Mr. Trump portrayed China and Russia as dangerous rivals that have exploited attempts at engagement from previous administrations. On Monday, he referred to them as “rival powers” seeking to “challenge American influence and wealth.” But in an indication of the fine line that the president is attempting to walk, he quickly pivoted to talk about cooperation.
“We will attempt to build a great partnership with those and other countries, but in a manner that always protects our national interest,” Mr. Trump said. An example of that cooperation, he said, was the U.S. recently sharing intelligence with Russia about a pending terrorist attack in which “thousands could have been killed.”
“That is the way it’s supposed to work,” Mr. Trump said. CONTINUE AT SITE
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