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Senate Democrats Release Foreign Policy Road Map Criticizing Trump

Katherine Gypson

   The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee charged
   Wednesday that the Trump administration's foreign policy has broken
   with a precedent set by past U.S. presidents showcasing the U.S. as a
   model for democracy and freedom.

   "The consequences of both Donald Trump's words and actions have been
   almost unequivocally negative for the American people and for broader
   United States interests globally," ranking member Senator Bob Menendez
   said Wednesday while introducing a report, "The Costs of Trump's
   Foreign Policy," to reporters.

   Among its recommendations, the report calls for renewed U.S. engagement
   with multilateral institutions, while communicating to allies and
   partners that U.S. relations with them are based on shared values. The
   report also recommended "autocratic leaders should be put on notice
   that the United States will hold them accountable for violations of
   human rights and efforts to repress their citizens" and the U.S. should
   prioritize "serious dangers Americans and the world face from global
   threats, including climate change, pandemics, authoritarianism and
   nuclear proliferation, which the Trump administration has ignored."

   Prepared by the Democratic staff of the Senate Foreign Relations
   Committee, the report draws on interviews with experts and former U.S.
   government and foreign government officials to examine the impact the
   administration's foreign policy has had on U.S. standing globally.

   "Past U.S. presidents sought to showcase the United States as a model
   for what a society can achieve when it is based upon democracy and
   freedom. President Trump, on the other hand, has consistently shown
   disdain for pluralism, human rights, civil society, the press and rule
   of law," the report says.

   The report cited among its examples Trump's sudden withdrawal of U.S.
   troops from Syria and his criticism of democratic leaders including
   German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin
   Trudeau while praising authoritarian leaders including Russian
   President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean
   leader Kim Jong Un.

   Policy reversals

   Four years ago while running for president, Trump vowed to "shake the
   rust off America's foreign policy." Much of his administration's
   efforts overseas have been focused on reversing what he has repeatedly
   called a "disastrous foreign policy" of his predecessor, President
   Barack Obama.

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