Trump unveils ‘America first’ national security strategy

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump in a speech Monday criticized previous administrations and outlined his first national security strategy. “With every decision and every action we are now putting America first,” Trump said. The White House published a 68-page strategy report Monday—a document every president must release annually. The latest version, which Trump said has the unanimous agreement of his Cabinet, lists four pillars of U.S. strategy: protecting the homeland, promoting prosperity, peace through strength, and advancing American influence. Trump criticized the Obama administration for not placing American interests first when making national security and foreign policy decisions. “Our leaders drifted from American principles,” Trump said. “They lost sight of America’s destiny, and they lost confidence in America’s greatness.” The policy document does not outline specific military actions but establishes principles on which to base decisions going forward. In a clear break from the Obama administration, Trump’s strategy document does not list climate change as a national security threat. In September 2016, then-President Barack Obama ordered all national security policies to “fully consider the impacts of climate change.” Earlier this year, Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord—another Obama decision—because he said it benefited other countries more than the United States. Trump said Monday that economic prosperity factors largely into national security interests, and he attacked the Paris climate deal again, calling it “very expensive and very unfair.”