Donald Trump outlines foreign policy vision

WASHINGTON—Businessman Donald Trump vowed to defeat ISIS, restore U.S. prestige abroad, and implement policies every American citizen would support during a wide-ranging foreign policy speech on Wednesday in the nation’s capital.

“My foreign policy will always put the American people and the American interests above all else,” Trump said on stage at The Mayflower Hotel. “That will be the foundation for every single decision I make.”

Trump’s first major foreign policy speech came on the heels of sweeping victories in five northeastern states on Tuesday. Trump now has 77 percent of the delegates necessary to secure the GOP nomination for president, but he still needs to win about half the remaining delegates, including the critical state of Indiana on May 3.

In his Wednesday remarks, Trump employed measured, low tones clearly intended to convey a presidential persona largely absent from his flamboyant campaign. He made an effort to use statistics, historical context, and technical knowledge aimed at mitigating concerns about how well he grasps critical policy concepts.

Trump spoke in mostly broad, philosophical language to paint a picture of a once-proud American reputation as tarnished in the post-Cold War era: “Our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster. No vision, no direction, no purpose, no strategy.”

The Republican frontrunner outlined what he said are five key weaknesses in American foreign policy, including overextended resources, allies that don’t pay “their fair share,” and policies that confuse Americans and other countries. Trump laid most of the blame at the feet of President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, who he said together “blazed a path of destruction” around the world.

“If President Obama’s goal was to weaken America, he could not have done a better job,” said Trump, who called for better trade, immigration, and economic policies.

Trump’s solutions featured a grab bag of policies that often contradicted each other: He argued against interventions abroad but chastised the Obama administration for allowing genocide in Iraq and Syria; he pledged to rebuild foreign friendships but threatened to abandon countries that don’t pay more for their own defense; he insisted the world should know where the U.S. stands but then blasted the administration for being too predictable.

“We have to be unpredictable, starting now,” Trump said while vowing to “very, very quickly” destroy ISIS upon taking office. “Their days are numbered. I won’t tell them where, and I won’t tell them how.”

Trump’s chief rival for the GOP nomination, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was unimpressed with the speech. In a statement, he hinted members of the “Washington Cartel” wrote it for personal gain.

“This speech is the most dramatic evidence thus far that Donald Trump fails the presidential test,” said Cruz, who sought to wrestle away the spotlight by announcing Carly Fiorina as his vice presidential pick.

Pundits and other lawmakers also assailed Trump’s remarks as unrealistic and contradictory.

“Not sure who is advising Trump on foreign policy but I can understand why he’s not revealing their names,” tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who briefly ran for president last year.

Despite the criticism, Trump’s speech seemed to resonate with the working class Americans who have comprised the backbone of his growing support. A YouTube live feed of the speech showed a steady stream of positive comments from adoring fans who called it “historical” and vowed to watch it again.

“Fantastic!” wrote Judy Pommett. “Go Donald GO!”