President Donald Trump recently completed his first overseas trip, a 9-day journey to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Belgium and Italy. He met with dozens of foreign leaders and drove home his America First policies on defense, refugees, and trade. He emphasized America’s leadership role in the world but noted America can’t bear the burden of protecting the rest of the world.
Trump addressed leaders from 54 Islamic countries at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Saudi Arabia, an unprecedented event. He focused on goals that bind the nations together, including defeating ISIS, Al-Qaeada and other terrorist groups and keeping Iran in check. Trump also spoke about economic ties between the participating nations and the need for prosperity throughout the Islamic world. He said, “The true toll of ISIS, Al-Qaeada, Hezbollah, and Hamas, and so many others, must be counted not only in the number of dead. It must also be counted in generations of vanquished dreams.”
The United States entered into a historic $110 Billion military equipment deal with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis put in an order for the advanced Patriot missile defense system, tanks, littoral combat ships with surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missile systems, and surveillance and cyber-security systems. The Saudis will also operate the Global Center for Combatting Extremist Ideology, which will counter the messaging used by terrorist groups to recruit on social media.
There were also remarkable social breakthroughs at the Summit. First Lady Melania Trump appeared at the event without a head scarf and shook hands with the Saudi king and members of the royal family. Trump spoke openly on the need to allow for religious tolerance and expand women’s rights in the Islamic world. He also spoke of the need for unity, stating, “We are united in pursuing one goal – vanquishing terrorism.” Trump’s flight from Saudi Arabia to Israel on Air Force One was the first flight in history between the two nations.
Trump also outlined his America First foreign policy. He told the other leaders, “We’re not here to tell other people how to live.” He stressed the need for each country to defend itself and urged the Islamic countries to form a coalition of forces to combat terrorist groups and resolve the conflicts in Syria and Yeman. Addressing the terrorist forces which have taken root in some of the Islamic countries, Trump repeated four times, “Drive them out!”
The Israel portion of the trip emphasized the historic bond between the two nations. Trump has a long-standing friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose relationship with President Obama was strained. Trump vowed that under his watch, Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon. He also became the first sitting President to visit the Western Wall, a shrine for Jews and Christians.
The Belgium leg of the tour was for a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit. Trump made it clear that America shoulders too much of the burden for defense and that member nations need to meet their obligation to spend at least 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on national defense. He noted that 23 of the 28 member nations are not meeting their obligations and said, “This is not fair to the people and the taxpayers of the U.S..”
The tour concluded with a meeting of the G-7 countries in Sicily. The G-7, consisting of the U.S., Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Japan, is an organization of nations with advanced economies. The leaders discussed terrorism, trade and climate change. Trump expressed concerns over America’s large trade deficit, which is approaching $700 Billion a year in manufactured goods.
Trump did not announce America’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, which is supported by the other G-7 nations. The accord would force industrialized countries to restrict their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which would increase the cost of electricity. CO2 makes up 0.04% of the atmosphere, and human activity only accounts for 3% of that tiny concentration. Requiring a few countries to restrict CO2 emissions would have virtually no impact on global CO2 concentration.
President Trump’s overseas trip was historic in many ways. While he forged partnerships with many foreign leaders, he emphasized that his primary responsibility is security and prosperity for the American people. He is the first non-globalist President in decades.
John Steinberger is the editor-in-chief of LowcountrySource.com. To contact him, email John@LowcountrySource.com.
