In his address to an elite, invitation-only Washington foreign policy audience Wednesday, Donald Trump promised that, as president, he would restore a “coherent” vision to America’s role in the world. 
 
 But across the ideological spectrum, and even among natural allies, Trump’s speech received a failing grade for coherence and drew snickering and scorn from foreign policy insiders who remain unconvinced that Trump is up to the job. 
 
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 “It struck me as a very odd mishmash,” said Doug Bandow, a foreign policy scholar at the libertarian Cato Institute, who shares many of Trump’s beliefs about scaling back America’s role abroad. “He called for a new foreign policy strategy, but you don’t really get the sense he gave one.” 
 
 Trump’s speech was “lacking in policy prescriptions,” and its “strident rhetoric masked a lack of depth,” said Robert “Bud” McFarlane, a former national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan who attended the speech. 
 
 Speaking at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel, Trump mostly repeated familiar themes from his campaign, including promises to cut better trade deals with China, swiftly defeat the Islamic State, rebuild the military and reduce the expense America incurs in upholding international security from Europe to Asia. 
 
 Trump spoke from a teleprompter and in tones that were subdued by the standards of his raucous rallies. He also unveiled a new theme, saying that the U.S. would “finally have a coherent foreign policy” based on narrow self-interest, economic gain and global stability. 
 
 But Trump offered few specifics about his strategy, focusing on the alleged “disasters” created by past presidents and a foreign policy establishment who “frankly don’t know what they’re doing, even though they may look awfully good writing for The New York Times or talking on television.” 
 
 Trump said he would surround himself with “talented experts” and “new people” to help him chart a global strategy. But even though he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” earlier in the day that “I’ll be naming them today,” he did not do so. 
 
 The audience was heavier on celebrity journalists like Bob Woodward and Jake Tapper than on the sort of prominent foreign policy thinkers and former government officials typically present at similar appearances by presidential candidates. Trump has largely been shunned by foreign-policy veterans of past Republican administrations, more than 100 members of whom recently signed an open letter saying they would not join his administration; some have threatened to vote for Hillary Clinton over Trump in November. 
 
 One notable figure sitting in the front row as Trump repeated his call for better relations with Moscow — “I believe an easing of tensions and improved relations with Russia, from a position of strength, is possible. Common sense says this cycle of hostility must end,” Trump said — was Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak. (Trump “made some intriguing points, but we need to understand what is meant in the implementation,” Kislyak told POLITICO after the speech. “It needs to be started carefully.”) 
 
 Also in attendance was a Trump foreign policy adviser Walid Phares, a Lebanese Maronite Christian who applauded vigorously when Trump said the U.S. had “left Christians subject to intense persecution and even genocide.” 
 
 The address was hosted by The National Interest magazine, an intellectual journal not often spotted on Trump’s private jet, but one that promotes the so-called realist school of foreign policy, which holds that the U.S. should pursue narrowly defined security interests with little concern for missions like promoting democracy or overthrowing repressive regimes. 
 
 Some of Trump’s speech aligned with realist theory, including his disdain for U.S. interventions in the Arab world and what he called “the dangerous idea that we could make western democracies out of countries that had no experience or interest in becoming a western democracy.” 
 
 Under a Trump presidency, he said, “no American citizen will ever again feel that their needs come second to the citizens of foreign countries.” 
 
 But experts called Trump’s speech rife with internal tensions. He declared that “America First” would be the “major and overriding” theme of his presidency moments before hailing America’s role in World War II — which was opposed by the isolationist America First movement of the early 1940s. He trashed President Barack Obama for failing to follow through with his threatened September 2013 air strikes in Syria, while also lamenting the chaos that has followed U.S. military interventions in Iraq and Libya. And Trump vowed to mend ties with U.S. allies who are fearful that America is withdrawing from the world, while insisting they pay more for their own security. 
 
 The speech was “completely contradictory, in the sense that the first message is that we should make allies pay not just for the cost of having troops in their countries but for the entire defense that the U.S. provides to Europe and Asia, which he estimated at trillions of dollars. And then in the next breath, he said that the U.S. can't be relied on and needs to be a better ally,” said Thomas Wright, a Brookings Institution fellow who has written extensively on Trump’s foreign policy. 
 
 “There’s just no way to reconcile these two statements. It certainly won’t reassure anyone internationally, or anyone within the Republican foreign policy establishment,” Wright added. 
 
 But Trump is also trying to broaden his electoral support, and some analysts said that the views of elites matter less than the populist sound bites about U.S. military and economic strength repeated on cable television Wednesday afternoon and evening. 
 
 Trump’s complaint that America’s NATO allies are not paying their fair share to support the European security alliance does echo at least one influential foreign policy thinker: Barack Obama, who in his address in Hanover, Germany, this week, scolded Europeans for being “complacent” about their own defense. Obama has also complained about “free riders” from Europe to the Arab Middle East enjoying the benefits of U.S. protection without spending or risking more themselves. 
 
 Obama has not however, explicitly threatened “to let these countries defend themselves,” as Trump did Wednesday. 
 
 Not everyone was totally dismissive of the Manhattan mogul’s appearance, including Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador and a National Interest board member who introduced Trump on Wednesday. 
 
 “He offered a coherent framework not totally outside the mainstream American foreign policy debate,” said Khalilzad, who held several senior foreign policy posts in the George W. Bush administration, including ambassador to Iraq and to Afghanistan. 
 
 “Of course,” he added, “expectations were low.” 
 
 Trump also left the hawkish Republican right deeply unimpressed. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a former 2016 presidential rival to Trump, issued a series of derisive tweets during the address, which he said was full of “disconnected thought” and demonstrated a “lack of understanding of threats we face.” 
 
 “Ronald Reagan must be rolling over in his grave,” Graham tweeted. 
 
 Michael Hirsh contributed to this report. ||||| Donald Trump delivered a major foreign policy speech today, one of the only pre-scripted speeches he’s delivered on the campaign trail. Trump promised to strengthen America, improve the economy, and pledged to use 3D printing and artificial intelligence to accomplish those goals, leaving some commentators confused. 
 
 The foreign policy speech delivered by Donald Trump today outlined his foreign policy platform and gave supporters a preview of the brand-new presidential Trump hinted at last week by campaign strategist Paul Manafort. Trump stood up in a Washington, D.C., hotel and delivered the speech, appearing uncomfortable, according to observers, reading a teleprompter instead of delivering his usual off-the-cuff remarks. 
 
 “America first will be the major and over-riding theme of my administration,” said Donald Trump during his foreign policy speech. 
 
 Commentators on CNN lauded Trump’s America first platform but claim the idea fell apart over the course of the speech. Fareed Zakaria in particular called the speech “bizarre” and “incoherent,” stating that Trump contradicted himself several times throughout the speech. Trump called for an end to U.S. nation-building but also stated that the U.S. should create stability and promote western civilization abroad – two core aspects of nation-building. 
 
 “It was populist, nationalist, protectionist – that was all familiar. But he expanded – it was sort of rambling to the point of being incoherent. He contradicted himself several times, saying ‘our allies can rely on us,’ but ‘we need to be unpredictable,'” said CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, calling into question the content of Donald Trump’s foreign policy speech. 
 
 Donald Trump’s foreign policy platform outlined in today’s speech suggests that the Republican front-runner would prefer a return to American leadership abroad, but he also stated several times that he intends to hold other nations accountable and vows to get out of the business of nation-building. Further, a cornerstone of the Trump foreign policy speech seemed to be Trump’s assertion that the United States needs to play its cards closer to the chest. 
 
 “Their days are numbered. I won’t tell them where, and I won’t tell them how. We must as a nation be more unpredictable. We are totally predictable,” Trump said during the speech, reports Talking Points Memo. 
 
 Donald Trump hit on familiar points during the speech — trade deals, border protection, and Israel — but some analysts are looking into new details Trump alluded to today that could have far-reaching impacts. David E. Sanger of the New York Times stated that Trump’s policy today echoed the “Powell Doctrine” of the Bush presidency, that America should only engage in military conflicts if it intends to see them through to the end — “If America fights, it must only fight to win.” Far from a throwaway line, Sanger claims that this single change to American foreign policy could have huge ramifications in the long term. 
 
 Not sure who is advising Trump on foreign policy but I can understand why he’s not revealing their names. — Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) April 27, 2016 
 
 “The Powell Doctrine gave way, in the past two presidencies to more selective use of surgical force – including special operations forces. This would be a big reversal – one that would require a very large standing military,” said Sanger for the New York Times. 
 
 One of the strangest parts of the speech came near the end when Donald Trump queued up a few applause lines hammering home familiar points – pledges to increase the number of available jobs and strengthen the economy. Trump paused for applause then continued, stating that the United States needs to use its technological superiority in order to defeat its enemies. 
 
 “This includes 3D printing, artificial intelligence, and cyber warfare,” Donald Trump said without further elaboration. “A great country also takes care of its warriors.” 
 
 Still, the Washington Post reiterates that while the Trump foreign policy speech may have been light on details for policy analysts, it delivered on familiar points that have thus far won Trump a great deal of support from the Republican base. 
 
 [Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images] ||||| For a speech purporting to challenge Washington’s accepted wisdom, there was much that was familiar about Donald Trump’s first big foreign policy address, not least the customary certainty of its delivery. 
 
 
 
 A call to challenge radical Islam through “philosophical struggle�? as well as military force might even have come from the lips of Barack Obama. Certainly no mainstream Republican would ever disagree with the somewhat motherhood-and-apple-pie exhortation for US presidents to view the world “through the clear lens of American interests�?. 
 
 Donald Trump unveils 'America first' foreign policy plan Read more 
 
 But how closely the speech stands up to detailed scrutiny is already the subject of fierce political debate. Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state put up to respond on behalf of the Hillary Clinton campaign, claimed she had never seen so many “simplistic slogans, contradictions and misstatements�? in one speech. Trump’s supporters argue instead that he was at his strongest, skewering the inconsistencies of the Democratic establishment’s approach under Obama and Clinton. 
 
 Here are 10 passages that suggest Trump may instead be doing what all politicians like doing best: having his cake and eating it. 
 
 Iran 
 
 Some groups “will never be anything but our enemies�?, Trump said after attacking Obama for doing deals with Iran. Only he claimed shortly afterwards: “The world must know we do not go abroad in search of enemies, that we are always happy when old enemies become friends, and when old friends become allies.�? 
 
 
 
 Nato 
 
 Trump also blasted Obama for letting down existing overseas partners, promising “America is going to be a reliable friend and ally again�?. Yet he delivers warnings about paying for Nato membership that might sound more like blackmail to some. “The countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defense – and, if not, the US must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves.�? 
 
 Nation-building 
 
 He was also ambiguous about America’s role in promoting democracy in the world, claiming “we are getting out of the nation-building business�? but then adding: “I will work with our allies to reinvigorate western values and institutions.�? He also argued that promoting “western civilization and its accomplishments will do more to inspire positive reforms around the world�?. 
 
 Extremism 
 
 Then there is the standard section of any recent US presidential speech that calls on Middle East nations to do more to fight Islamic extremism. “This has to be a two-way street. They must also be good to us and remember us and all we are doing for them,�? he said of allies in the region. These comments might have more clout coming from someone who had not recently offended much of the Muslim world by threatening to ban their citizens from entering the US. 
 
 Obama’s ‘humiliations’ 
 
 Some criticisms of Obama’s “humiliations�? at the hands of foreign governments do not stand up to much scrutiny either. Trump said that Obama was snubbed during recent state visits to Cuba and Saudi Arabia because he was not greeted at the airport by a senior leader. “Perhaps an incident without precedent in the long and prestigious history of Air Force One,�? claims Trump. Strangely, the Queen’s decision to send the lord-lieutenant of Essex – hardly the most prestigious of British officials – to meet Obama at London’s Stansted airport last week was not mentioned, perhaps because it is a pretty standard way of doing things. 
 
 Olympics 
 
 A similar non sequitur arises in criticism of Obama’s failed attempt to persuade the International Olympic Committee to award the 2016 Summer Games to Chicago. The president should not have flown all the way to the IOC meeting in Copenhagen if he did not already know they were going to award the games to the US, argued Trump. But what would have been the point of flying all that way to lobby for something that had already been secured? 
 
 Principles v unpredictability 
 
 Perhaps Trump is just trying to live up to his maxim of keeping the world guessing. “We have to be unpredictable and we have to be unpredictable starting now,�? he argued at the start of the speech. Except, by the end, he argued for the virtues of a more transparent and principled approach: “The best way to achieve those goals is through a disciplined, deliberate and consistent foreign policy.�? 
 
 Migration 
 
 Sometimes it is best not to apply too much mathematics. Trump claimed, for example, that “there are scores of recent migrants inside our borders charged with terrorism�?, an assertion already open to dispute, but went on to add on top “for every case known to the public there are dozens and dozens more�?. If “scores�? means at least 40, then by this logic, Trump is claiming the existence of around 1,000 more people than anyone else has. 
 
 US interests 
 
 If the speech has one abiding slogan, it too could have done with some more fact-checking. Putting America first sounds at first just like an extension of Trump’s hallmark promise to make America great again. Yet it also harks back to the America First Committee of the 1940s, a group set up to prevent the US from joining the second world war, only to be disbanded three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. 
 
 Isolationism v interventionism 
 
 But perhaps this just points to the biggest contradiction of the speech: the tension between its isolationism and its interventionism. At once, Trump urges more of a pragmatic and realist approach to the exercise of US power, unconstrained by the niceties of political correctness, and yet blasts Obama for having “no vision, no purpose, no direction, no strategy�?. 
 
 It is perhaps unfair, however, to dwell too closely on textual analysis of a speech clearly written by a number of people. “We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism�? is a powerful line, but it does not sound very much like it was written by the same man who told a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday: “Do I look like a president? How handsome am I?�? ||||| ADVERTISEMENT “We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism,” Trump promised during Wednesday’sclosely scrutinized address from a Washington hotel. 
 
 “Americans must know that we’re putting the American people first again,” he added. 
 
 “On trade, on immigration, on foreign policy, the jobs, incomes and security of the American worker will always be my first priority,” he said. “Both our friends and our enemies put their countries above ours, and we — while being fair to them — must start doing the same.” 
 
 Despite being relatively short on concrete policy specifics, Trump’s address offered the clearest look yet at his deep distrust of the international architecture that has dominated since the end of World War II in a sign of what a Trump administration might look like. 
 
 Trump delivered the address with the aid of a teleprompter to a smaller and much less boisterous crowd than is typical of his campaign rallies, which was interpreted as an attempt to unify the party after winning all five Northeastern primaries on Tuesday. 
 
 The audience of policy officials and think tank analysts responded with tepid applause, and reaction throughout Republican circles in Washington was generally mixed. 
 
 Supporters of the billionaire real estate mogul reveled in his willingness to abandon the U.S.’s integral role in global alliances, which they believe have benefited Americans minimally. 
 
 Critics pointed to apparent contradictions in the remarks and a lack of concrete specifics to claim that his ideas would undermine the U.S.’s role in the world. 
 
 The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, however, said Trumpdelivered a “very good foreign policy speech.” 
 
 Trump’s prescription for elevating American stature around the world was to force new diplomatic negotiations and “be willing to walk” if the U.S. does not get its desired results. 
 
 If elected president, Trump promised to convene American allies from NATO and Asia for summits to discuss “a rebalancing of financial commitments” and also the adoption of “new strategies for tackling our common challenges,” such as terrorism and migration. 
 
 His skepticism of international alliances is one the many areas that have raised concern from foreign policy analysts, including prominent Republicans. 
 
 On Wednesday, he only briefly mentioned his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the country, which “will help us to prevent the next San Bernardino or, frankly, much worse.” 
 
 Critics have also been alarmed by his demand that Mexico pay for a wall along its border with the U.S., the suggestion that Japan and South Korea obtain nuclear weapons, and his support for extreme military action that could qualify as war crimes, none of which were explicitly mentioned on Wednesday. 
 
 The omissions hint at the apparent efforts within Trump’s campaign to back away from some of his more extreme tendencies as he marches closer to securing the GOP nomination. 
 
 His campaign has previously suggested Trump would begin offering a more restrained and “presidential” image as he gets closer to securing the GOP nomination. However, the ­front-runner has appeared to backtrack on that planned evolution in recent days. 
 
 Trump’s previous efforts to reassure the think tank class in Washington have had mixed results. 
 
 His newly assembled team of national security advisers left many Washington hands scratching their heads, and Trump has yet to surround himself with the types of veterans that would normally complement a leading presidential candidate. 
 
 On Wednesday, Trump indicated that would not change anytime soon. 
 
 “We have to look to new people, because many of the old people, frankly, don’t know what they’re doing, even though they may look awfully good writing in The New York Times or being watched on television,” he said. 
 
 Trump first used the phrase “America first” during an interview with the Times earlier this year, but its origins date back decades. The name originally referred to skeptics of U.S. involvement in World War II, though Trump has so far declined to draw a connection with the history. 
 
 That absence, critics said on Wednesday, suggests he is unaware of the movement. 
 
 “I thought that his real title should have been ‘Blame America first,’ ” he added. “It’s not America’s fault that nations around the world aren’t governing correctly.” ||||| Trump speaks Wednesday. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) 
 
 Donald Trump gave an address on foreign policy on Wednesday in Washington. The 45 minute speech was heavy on what the country has done wrong under President Obama and decidedly light on the specifics of how Trump will fix things. I annotated it using Genius. Sign up and join me! To see an annotation, click or tap the highlighted part of the transcript. 
 
 TRUMP: Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you, and thank you to the Center for National Interest for honoring me with this invitation. It truly is a great honor. I'd like to talk today about how to develop a new foreign policy direction for our country, one that replaces randomness with purpose, ideology with strategy, and chaos with peace. 
 
 TRUMP: It's time to shake the rust off America's foreign policy. It's time to invite new voices and new visions into the fold, something we have to do. The direction I will outline today will also return us to a timeless principle. My foreign policy will always put the interests of the American people and American security above all else. It has to be first. Has to be. 
 
 That will be the foundation of every single decision that I will make. America... 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 America first will be the major and overriding theme of my administration. But to chart our path forward, we must first briefly take a look back. We have a lot to be proud of. 
 
 In the 1940s we saved the world. The greatest generation beat back the Nazis and Japanese imperialists. Then we saved the world again. This time, from totalitarianism and communism. The Cold War lasted for decades but, guess what, we won and we won big. Democrats and Republicans working together got Mr. Gorbachev to heed the words of President Reagan, our great president, when he said, tear down this wall. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 History will not forget what he did. A very special man and president. Unfortunately, after the Cold War our foreign policy veered badly off course. We failed to develop a new vision for a new time. In fact, as time went on, our foreign policy began to make less and less sense. Logic was replaced with foolishness and arrogance, which led to one foreign policy disaster after another. 
 
 They just kept coming and coming. We went from mistakes in Iraq to Egypt to Libya, to President Obama's line in the sand in Syria. Each of these actions have helped to throw the region into chaos and gave ISIS the space it needs to grow and prosper. Very bad. It all began with a dangerous idea that we could make western democracies out of countries that had no experience or interests in becoming a western democracy. 
 
 We tore up what institutions they had and then were surprised at what we unleashed. Civil war, religious fanaticism, thousands of Americans and just killed be lives, lives, lives wasted. Horribly wasted. Many trillions of dollars were lost as a result. The vacuum was created that ISIS would fill. Iran, too, would rush in and fill that void much to their really unjust enrichment. 
 
 They have benefited so much, so sadly, for us. Our foreign policy is a complete and total disaster. No vision. No purpose. No direction. No strategy. Today I want to identify five main weaknesses in our foreign policy. 
 
 First, our resources are totally over extended. President Obama has weakened our military by weakening our economy. He's crippled us with wasteful spending, massive debt, low growth, a huge trade deficit and open borders. Our manufacturing trade deficit with the world is now approaching $1 trillion a year. 
 
 We're rebuilding other countries while weakening our own. Ending the theft of American jobs will give us resources we need to rebuild our military, which has to happen and regain our financial independence and strength. I am the only person running for the presidency who understands this and this is a serious problem. 
 
 I'm the only one -- believe me, I know them all, I'm the only one who knows how to fix it. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Secondly, our allies are not paying their fair share, and I've been talking about this recently a lot. Our allies must contribute toward their financial, political, and human costs, have to do it, of our tremendous security burden. But many of them are simply not doing so. 
 
 TRUMP: They look at the United States as weak and forgiving and feel no obligation to honor their agreements with us. In NATO, for instance, only 4 of 28 other member countries besides America, are spending the minimum required 2 percent of GDP on defense. We have spent trillions of dollars over time on planes, missiles, ships, equipment, building up our military to provide a strong defense for Europe and Asia. 
 
 The countries we are defending must pay for the cost of this defense, and if not, the U.S. must be prepared to let these countries defend themselves. We have no choice. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 The whole world will be safer if our allies do their part to support our common defense and security. A Trump administration will lead a free world that is properly armed and funded, and funded beautifully. 
 
 Thirdly, our friends are beginning to think they can't depend on us. We've had a president who dislikes our friends and bows to our enemies, something that we've never seen before in the history of our country. He negotiated a disastrous deal with Iran, and then we watched them ignore its terms even before the ink was dry. Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, cannot be allowed. Remember that, cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 And under a Trump administration, will never, ever be allowed to have that nuclear weapon. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 All of this without even mentioning the humiliation of the United States with Iran's treatment of our ten captured sailors -- so vividly I remember that day. In negotiation, you must be willing to walk. The Iran deal, like so many of our worst agreements, is the result of not being willing to leave the table. 
 
 When the other side knows you're not going to walk, it becomes absolutely impossible to win -- you just can't win. At the same time, your friends need to know that you will stick by the agreements that you have with them. You've made that agreement, you have to stand by it and the world will be a better place. President Obama gutted our missile defense program and then abandoned our missile defense plans with Poland and the Czech Republic. He supported the ouster of a friendly regime in Egypt that had a longstanding peace treaty with Israel, and then helped bring the Muslim Brotherhood to power in its place. 
 
 Israel, our great friend and the one true democracy in the Middle East has been snubbed and criticized by an administration that lacks moral clarity. Just a few days ago, Vice President Biden again criticized Israel, a force for justice and peace, for acting as an impatient peace area in the region. 
 
 President Obama has not been a friend to Israel. He has treated Iran with tender love and care and made it a great power. Iran has, indeed, become a great, great power in just a very short period of time, because of what we've done. All of the expense and all at the expense of Israel, our allies in the region and very importantly, the United States itself. 
 
 We've picked fights with our oldest friends, and now they're starting to look elsewhere for help. Remember that. Not good. 
 
 Fourth, our rivals no longer respect us. In fact, they're just as confused as our allies, but in an even bigger problem is they don't take us seriously anymore. The truth is they don't respect us. When President Obama landed in Cuba on Air Force One, to leader was there, nobody, to greet him. 
 
 Perhaps an incident without precedent in the long and prestigious history of Air Force One. Then amazingly, the same thing happened in Saudi Arabia. It's called no respect. Absolutely no respect. 
 
 TRUMP: Do you remember when the president made a long and expensive trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, to get the Olympics for our country, and after this unprecedented effort, it was announced that the United States came in fourth -- fourth place? The president of the United States making this trip -- unprecedented -- comes in fourth place. He should have known the result before making such an embarrassing commitment. We were laughed at all over the world, as we have been many, many times. 
 
 The list of humiliations go on and on and on. President Obama watches helplessly as North Korea increases its aggression and expands further and further with its nuclear reach. Our president has allowed China to continue its economic assault on American jobs and wealth, refusing to enforce trade deals and apply leverage on China necessary to rein in North Korea. We have the leverage. We have the power over China, economic power, and people don't understand it. And with that economic power, we can rein in and we can get them to do what they have to do with North Korea, which is totally out of control. 
 
 He has even allowed China to steal government secrets with cyber attacks and engaged in industrial espionage against the United States and its companies. We've let our rivals and challengers think they can get away with anything, and they do. They do at will. It always happens. If President Obama's goal had been to weaken America, he could not have done a better job. 
 
 Finally, America no longer has a clear understanding of our foreign policy goals. Since the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union, we've lacked a coherent foreign policy. One day, we're bombing Libya and getting rid of a dictator to foster democracy for civilians. The next day, we're watching the same civilians suffer while that country falls and absolutely falls apart. Lives lost, massive moneys lost. The world is a different place. 
 
 We're a humanitarian nation, but the legacy of the Obama-Clinton interventions will be weakness, confusion and disarray, a mess. We've made the Middle East more unstable and chaotic than ever before. We left Christians subject to intense persecution and even genocide. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 We have done nothing to help the Christians, nothing, and we should always be ashamed for that, for that lack of action. Our actions in Iraq, Libya and Syria have helped unleash ISIS, and we're in a war against radical Islam, but President Obama won't even name the enemy, and unless you name the enemy, you will never ever solve the problem. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Hillary Clinton also refuses to say the words radical Islam, even as she pushes for a massive increase in refugees coming into our country. After Secretary Clinton's failed intervention in Libya, Islamic terrorists in Benghazi took down our consulate and killed our ambassador and three brave Americans. Then, instead of taking charge that night, Hillary Clinton decided to go home and sleep. Incredible. 
 
 Clinton blames it all on a video, an excuse that was a total lie, proven to be absolutely a total lie. Our ambassador was murdered and our secretary of state misled the nation. And, by the way, she was not awake to take that call at 3 o'clock in the morning. And now ISIS is making millions and millions of dollars a week selling Libya oil. And you know what? We don't blockade, we don't bomb, we don't do anything about it. It's almost as if our country doesn't even know what's happening, which could be a fact and could be true. 
 
 TRUMP: This will all change when I become president. 
 
 To our friends and allies, I say America is going to be strong again. America is going to be reliable again. It's going to be a great and reliable ally again. It's going to be a friend again. We're going to finally have a coherent foreign policy based upon American interests and the shared interests of our allies. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 We're getting out of the nation-building business and instead focusing on creating stability in the world. Our moments of greatest strength came when politics ended at the water's edge. We need a new rational American foreign policy, informed by the best minds and supported by both parties, and it will be by both parties -- Democrats, Republicans, independents, everybody, as well as by our close allies. 
 
 This is how we won the Cold War and it's how we will win our new future struggles, which may be many, which may be complex, but we will win if I become president. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 First, we need a long-term plan to halt the spread and reach of radical Islam. Containing the spread of radical Islam must be a major foreign policy goal of the United States and indeed the world. Events may require the use of military force, but it's also a philosophical struggle, like our long struggle in the Cold War. 
 
 In this, we're going to be working very closely with our allies in the Muslim world, all of which are at risk from radical Islamic violence, attacks and everything else. It is a dangerous world, more dangerous now than it has ever been. 
 
 We should work -- thank you. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 We should work together with any nation in the region that is threatened by the rise of radical Islam. But this has to be a two-way street. They must also be good to us. Remember that. They have to be good to us, no longer one way. It's now two-way. And remember, us and all we're doing, they have to appreciate what we've done to them. We're going to help, but they have to appreciate what we've done for them. The struggle against radical Islam also takes place in our homeland. There are scores of recent migrants inside our borders charged with terrorism. For every case known to the public, there are dozens and dozens more. We must stop importing extremism through senseless immigration policies. We have no idea where these people are coming from. There's no documentation. There's no paperwork. There's nothing. We have to be smart. We have to be vigilant. 
 
 A pause for reassessment will help us to prevent the next San Bernardino or frankly, much worse. All you have to do is look at the World Trade Center and September 11th, one of the great catastrophes, in my opinion, the single greatest military catastrophe in the history of our country; worse than Pearl Harbor because you take a look at what's happened, and citizens were attacked, as opposed to the military being attacked -- one of the true great catastrophes. 
 
 And then there's ISIS. I have a simple message for them. Their days are numbered. I won't tell them where and I won't tell them how. We must... 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 ... we must as a nation be more unpredictable. We are totally predictable. We tell everything. We're sending troops. We tell them. We're sending something else. We have a news conference. We have to be unpredictable. And we have to be unpredictable starting now. 
 
 But they're going to be gone. ISIS will be gone if I'm elected president. And they'll be gone quickly. They will be gone very, very quickly. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 TRUMP: Secondly, we have to rebuild our military and our economy. The Russians and Chinese have rapidly expanded their military capability, but look at what's happened to us. Our nuclear weapons arsenal, our ultimate deterrent, has been allowed to atrophy and is desperately in need of modernization and renewal. And it has to happen immediately. Our active duty armed forces have shrunk from 2 million in 1991 to about 1.3 million today. The Navy has shrunk from over 500 ships to 272 ships during this same period of time. The Air Force is about one-third smaller than 1991. Pilots flying B-52s in combat missions today. These planes are older than virtually everybody in this room. 
 
 And what are we doing about this? President Obama has proposed a 2017 defense budget that in real dollars, cuts nearly 25 percent from what we were spending in 2011. Our military is depleted and we're asking our generals and military leaders to worry about global warming. 
 
 We will spend what we need to rebuild our military. It is the cheapest, single investment we can make. We will develop, build and purchase the best equipment known to mankind. Our military dominance must be unquestioned, and I mean unquestioned, by anybody and everybody. 
 
 But we will look for savings and spend our money wisely. In this time of mounting debt, right now we have so much debt that nobody even knows how to address the problem. But I do. No one dollar can be wasted. Not one single dollar can we waste. We're also going to have to change our trade, immigration and economic policies to make our economy strong again. And to put Americans first again. 
 
 This will ensure that our own workers, right here in America, get the jobs and higher pay that will grow our tax revenues, increase our economic might as a nation, make us strong financially again. So, so important. We need to think smart about areas where our technological superiority, and nobody comes close, gives us an edge. 
 
 This includes 3D printing, artificial intelligence and cyber warfare. A great country also takes care of its warriors. Our commitment to them is absolute, and I mean absolute. A trump administration will give our servicemen and women the best equipment and support in the world when they serve and where they serve. And the best care in the world when they return as veterans and they come back home to civilian life. Our veterans... 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Our veterans have not been treated fairly or justly. These are our great people and we must treat them fairly. We must even treat them really, really well and that will happen under the Trump administration. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Finally, we must develop a foreign policy based on American interests. Businesses do not succeed when they lose sight of their core interests and neither do countries. Look at what happened in the 1990s. Our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania -- and this was a horrible time for us -- were attacked. and 17 brave sailors were killed on the USS Cole. 
 
 And what did we do? It seemed we put more effort into adding China into the World Trade organization, which has been a total disaster for the United States. Frankly, we spent more time on that than we did in stopping Al Qaida. We even had an opportunity to take out Osama bin Laden and we didn't do it 
 
 And then we got hit at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Again, the worst attack on our country in its history. Our foreign policy goals must be based on America's core national security interests. And the following will be my priorities. 
 
 In the Middle East our goals must be, and I mean must be, to defeat terrorists and promote regional stability, not radical change. We need to be clear sighted about the groups that will never be anything other than enemies. And believe me, we have groups that no matter what you do, they will be the enemy. 
 
 TRUMP: We have to be smart enough to recognize who those groups are, who those people are, and not help them. And we must only be generous to those that prove they are indeed our friends. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 We desire to live peacefully and in friendship with Russia and China. We have serious differences with these two nations, and must regard them with open eyes, but we are not bound to be adversaries. We should seek common ground based on shared interests. 
 
 Russia, for instance, has also seen the horror of Islamic terrorism. I believe an easing of tensions, and improved relations with Russia from a position of strength only is possible, absolutely possible. Common sense says this cycle, this horrible cycle of hostility must end and ideally will end soon. Good for both countries. 
 
 Some say the Russians won't be reasonable. I intend to find out. If we can't make a deal under my administration, a deal that's great -- not good, great -- for America, but also good for Russia, then we will quickly walk from the table. It's as simple as that. We're going to find out. 
 
 Fixing our relations with China is another important step -- and really toward creating an even more prosperous period of time. China respects strength and by letting them take advantage of us economically, which they are doing like never before, we have lost all of their respect. 
 
 We have a massive trade deficit with China, a deficit that we have to find a way quickly, and I mean quickly, to balance. A strong and smart America is an America that will find a better friend in China, better than we have right now. Look at what China is doing in the South China Sea. They're not supposed to be doing it. 
 
 No respect for this country or this president. We can both benefit or we can both go our separate ways. If need be, that's what's going to have to happen. 
 
 After I'm elected president, I will also call for a summit with our NATO allies and a separate summit with our Asian allies. In these summits, we will not only discuss a rebalancing of financial commitments, but take a fresh look at how we can adopt new strategies for tackling our common challenges. For instance, we will discuss how we can upgrade NATO's outdated mission and structure, grown out of the Cold War to confront our shared challenges, including migration and Islamic terrorism. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 I will not hesitate to deploy military force when there is no alternative. But if America fights, it must only fight to win. 
 
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 I will never sent our finest into battle unless necessary, and I mean absolutely necessary, and will only do so if we have a plan for victory with a capital V. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Our goal is peace and prosperity, not war and destruction. The best way to achieve those goals is through a disciplined, deliberate and consistent foreign policy. With President Obama and Secretary Clinton we've had the exact opposite -- a reckless, rudderless and aimless foreign policy, one that has blazed the path of destruction in its wake. 
 
 After losing thousands of lives and spending trillions of dollars, we are in far worst shape in the Middle East than ever, ever before. I challenge anyone to explain the strategic foreign policy vision of Obama/Clinton. It has been a complete and total disaster. 
 
 I will also be prepared to deploy America's economic resources. Financial leverage and sanctions can be very, very persuasive, but we need to use them selectively and with total determination. 
 
 TRUMP: Our power will be used if others do not play by the rules. In other words, if they do not treat us fairly. Our friends and enemies must know that if I draw a line in the sand, I will enforce that line in the sand. Believe me. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 However, unlike other candidates for the presidency, war and aggression will not be my first instinct. You cannot have a foreign policy without diplomacy. A superpower understands that caution and restraint are really truly signs of strength. Although not in government service, I was totally against the war in Iraq, very proudly, saying for many years that it would destabilize the Middle East. Sadly, I was correct, and the biggest beneficiary has been has been Iran, who is systematically taking over Iraq and gaining access to their very rich oil reserves, something it has wanted to do for decades. 
 
 And now, to top it off, we have ISIS. My goal is to establish a foreign policy that will endure for several generations. That's why I also look and have to look for talented experts with approaches and practical ideas, rather than surrounding myself with those who have perfect resumes but very little to brag about except responsibility for a long history of failed policies and continued losses at war. We have to look to new people. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 We have to look to new people because many of the old people frankly don't know what they're doing, even though they may look awfully good writing in the New York Times or being watched on television. 
 
 Finally, I will work with our allies to reinvigorate Western values and institutions. Instead of trying to spread universal values that not everybody shares or wants, we should understand that strengthening and promoting Western civilization and its accomplishments will do more to inspire positive reforms around the world than military interventions. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 These are my goals as president. I will seek a foreign policy that all Americans, whatever their party, can support, so important, and which our friends and allies will respect and totally welcome. The world must know that we do not go abroad in search of enemies, that we are always happy when old enemies become friends and when old friends become allies, that's what we want. We want them to be our allies. 
 
 We want the world to be -- we want to bring peace to the world. Too much destruction out there, too many destructive weapons. The power of weaponry is the single biggest problem that we have today in the world. 
 
 To achieve these goals, Americans must have confidence in their country and its leadership. Again, many Americans must wonder why we our politicians seem more interested in defending the borders of foreign countries than in defending their own. Americans... 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Americans must know that we're putting the American people first again on trade. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 So true. On trade, on immigration, on foreign policy. The jobs, incomes and security of the American worker will always be my first priority. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 No country has ever prospered that failed to put its own interests first. Both our friends and our enemies put their countries above ours and we, while being fair to them, must start doing the same. We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of globalism. The nation-state remains the true foundation for happiness and harmony. I am skeptical of international unions that tie us up and bring America down and will never enter... 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 TRUMP: And under my administration, we will never enter America into any agreement that reduces our ability to control our own affairs. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 NAFTA, as an example, has been a total disaster for the United States and has emptied our states -- literally emptied our states of our manufacturing and our jobs. And I've just gotten to see it. I've toured Pennsylvania. I've toured New York. I've toured so many of the states. They have been cleaned out. Their manufacturing is gone. 
 
 Never again, only the reverse -- and I have to say this strongly -- never again; only the reverse will happen. We will keep our jobs and bring in new ones. There will be consequences for the companies that leave the United States only to exploit it later. They fire the people. They take advantage of the United States. There will be consequences for those companies. Never again. 
 
 Under a Trump administration, no American citizen will ever again feel that their needs come second to the citizens of a foreign country. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 I will view as president the world through the clear lens of American interests. I will be America's greatest defender and most loyal champion. We will not apologize for becoming successful again, but will instead embrace the unique heritage that makes us who we are. 
 
 The world is most peaceful and most prosperous when America is strongest. America will continue and continue forever to play the role of peacemaker. We will always help save lives and indeed humanity itself, but to play the role, we must make America strong again. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 And always -- always, always, we must make, and we have to look at it from every angle, and we have no choice, we must make America respected again. We must make America truly wealthy again. And we must -- we have to and we will make America great again. And if we do that -- and if we do that, perhaps this century can be the most peaceful and prosperous the world has ever, ever known. Thank you very much, everybody. I appreciate it. Thank you. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Thank you very much. 
 
 (APPLAUSE) 
 
 Thank you. ||||| Listen to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump discuss some of his foreign policy positions with The Washington Post editorial board. "NATO is costing us a fortune," Trump said. "We're not reimbursed fairly for what we do." (The Washington Post) 
 
 Listen to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump discuss some of his foreign policy positions with The Washington Post editorial board. "NATO is costing us a fortune," Trump said. "We're not reimbursed fairly for what we do." (The Washington Post) 
 
 Donald Trump endorsed an unabashedly noninterventionist approach to world affairs Monday during a day-long tour of Washington, casting doubt on the need for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and expressing skepticism about a muscular U.S. military presence in Asia. 
 
 The foreign policy positions — outlined in a meeting with the editorial board of The Washington Post — came on a day when Trump set aside the guerrilla tactics and showman bravado that have powered his campaign to appear as a would-be presidential nominee, explaining his policies, accepting counsel and building bridges to Republican elites. 
 
 On Monday night, Trump delivered a scripted address in front of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, prompting ovations with pledges to stand by Israel and take a hard line on peace talks with the Palestinians. 
 
 Trump’s whirlwind day of appearances around the nation’s capital was intended in part to head off an establishment push to deny him the Republican Party’s nomination. But in the Post meeting, the billionaire mogul also made clear that he would not be beholden to the GOP’s long-held orthodoxies. 
 
 During the hour-long discussion, during which he revealed five of his foreign policy advisers, Trump advocated a light footprint in the world. In spite of unrest in the Middle East and elsewhere, he said, the United States must look inward and steer its resources toward rebuilding the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. 
 
 1 of 11 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Donald Trump tours official Washington View Photos On a whirlwind day of appearances across the nation’s capital that culminated with a high-profile address on U.S.-Israel relations, the Republican presidential front-runner was noticeably measured. Caption On a whirlwind day of appearances across the nation’s capital that culminated with a high-profile address on U.S.-Israel relations, the Republican presidential front-runner was noticeably measured. March 21, 2016 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at the former Old Post Office Pavilion, soon to be a Trump International Hotel. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue. 
 
 “At what point do you say, ‘Hey, we have to take care of ourselves?’ ” Trump said in the editorial board meeting. “I know the outer world exists, and I’ll be very cognizant of that. But at the same time, our country is disintegrating, large sections of it, especially the inner cities.” 
 
 Trump said U.S. involvement in NATO may need to be significantly diminished in the coming years, breaking with nearly seven decades of consensus in Washington. “We certainly can’t afford to do this anymore,” he said, adding later, “NATO is costing us a fortune, and yes, we’re protecting Europe with NATO, but we’re spending a lot of money.” 
 
 [A transcript of Donald Trump’s meeting with The Washington Post editorial board] 
 
 ‘Be more presidential’ 
 
 Throughout his unlikely campaign, Trump’s unpredictable, incendiary persona has been his rocket fuel. But with the nomination now within his reach, he is trying at times to round out his sharp edges to convince his party’s leaders — not to mention general-election voters — that he has the temperament and knowledge to be president. 
 
 This was one of Trump’s goals as he addressed AIPAC’s annual conference in Washington. For perhaps the first time in his campaign, Trump read from a prepared text on teleprompters — a device he has colorfully mocked other politicians for using. 
 
 On Israel, Trump mostly hewed to the party line, giving a full-throated defense of the nation and its interests and arguing that no candidate is a more forceful champion of the Jewish state. His eyes pinging back and forth between the teleprompter screens, Trump embellished his prepared text only to deliver a few criticisms of President Obama and his first-term secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner. 
 
 “When I become president, the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on Day One,” Trump vowed. He received enthusiastic applause from the crowd of thousands, and the much-rumored walkouts during his speech were either called off or went unnoticed in the cavernous Verizon Center arena. 
 
 GOP presidential hopefuls John Kasich, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz spoke on March 21 at the AIPAC conference in Washington, D.C. (Peter Stevenson/Reuters) 
 
 Earlier Monday, Trump sought to cultivate ties with his party’s establishment at a private luncheon he hosted on Capitol Hill. It was attended by about two dozen Republicans, including influential conservatives in Congress and prominent figures from GOP policy and lobbying circles. 
 
 Those with whom he met directly urged Trump to “be more presidential,” according to one attendee. This person, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to relate details of the closed session, described it as “a very serious conversation,” adding: “This was the Donald Trump who talks with bankers, not the Donald Trump who is on the stage.” 
 
 Trump also sought to showcase his business acumen and dealmaking prowess. He staged an afternoon news conference at the historic Old Post Office Pavilion, which his real estate company is turning into a Trump International Hotel, a few blocks from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. The candidate, flanked by employees wearing hard hats, led journalists on a tour of the construction zone. 
 
 Trump’s visit to Washington comes amid an intensified effort by some in the Republican establishment, including 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney, to deny him the nomination by forcing a contested convention at which the party could rally around an alternative. 
 
 At his luncheon meeting, Trump warned party leaders against using parliamentary maneuvers to block his nomination. He later told reporters that he had a productive conversation recently with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and that he has “many millions of people behind me.” 
 
 “Now, they can play games, and they can play cute,” Trump said of Ryan and other GOP leaders. “I can only take [Ryan] at face value. I understand duplicity. I understand a lot of things. But he called me last week, he could not have been nicer. I spoke with Mitch McConnell, he could not have been nicer. If people want to be smart, they should embrace this movement.” 
 
 Neither Ryan nor McConnell (R-Ky.), the Senate majority leader, attended Monday’s meeting with Trump. It was held at Jones Day, the law firm of Donald F. McGahn, a Trump campaign attorney, and was convened in part by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), a key Trump ally. 
 
 Attendees included Heritage Foundation President Jim De­Mint, a former senator from South Carolina and a conservative movement leader, as well as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and former House Appropriations Committee chairman Bob Livingston (R-La.). A group of House members who have endorsed Trump also attended. 
 
 “We met with Senator Sessions and some of the great people in Washington,” Trump said. “We had a really good meeting. . . . They can’t believe how far we’ve come because, you know, I think a lot of people maybe wouldn’t have predicted that.” 
 
 ‘We are a poor country now’ 
 
 Trump began the day at The Post, where his on-the-record meeting with the editorial board covered media libel laws, violence at his rallies and climate change, as well as foreign policy. 
 
 For the first time, Trump listed members of a team chaired by Sessions that is counseling him on foreign affairs and helping to shape his policies: Keith Kellogg, Carter Page, George Papadopoulos, Walid Phares and Joseph E. Schmitz. All are relatively little known in foreign policy circles, and several have ties to the George W. Bush administration. 
 
 [Meet the men shaping Donald Trump’s foreign policy views] 
 
 Trump praised George P. Shultz, who served as President Ronald Reagan’s secretary of state, as a model diplomat and, on the subject of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, said America’s allies are “not doing anything.” 
 
 “Ukraine is a country that affects us far less than it affects other countries in NATO, and yet we’re doing all of the lifting,” Trump said. “They’re not doing anything. And I say: ‘Why is it that Germany’s not dealing with NATO on Ukraine? . . . Why are we always the one that’s leading, potentially, the third world war with Russia?’ ” 
 
 While the Obama administration has faced pressure from congressional critics who have advocated for a more active U.S. role in supporting Ukraine, the U.S. military has limited its assistance to nonlethal equipment such as vehicles and night-vision gear. European nations have taken the lead in crafting a fragile cease-fire designed to decrease hostility between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists. 
 
 Trump sounded a similar note in discussing the U.S. presence in the Pacific. He questioned the value of massive military investments in Asia and wondered aloud whether the United States still is capable of being an effective peacekeeping force there. 
 
 “South Korea is very rich, great industrial country, and yet we’re not reimbursed fairly for what we do,” Trump said. “We’re constantly sending our ships, sending our planes, doing our war games — we’re reimbursed a fraction of what this is all costing.” 
 
 Such talk is likely to trigger anxiety in South Korea, where a U.S. force of 28,000 has provided a strong deterrent to North Korean threats for decades. 
 
 Asked whether the United States benefits from its involvement in Asia, Trump replied, “Personally, I don’t think so.” He added: “I think we were a very powerful, very wealthy country. And we’re a poor country now. We’re a debtor nation.” 
 
 Jenna Johnson, Paul Kane, Missy Ryan and David Weigel contributed to this report.
– As part of his ongoing attempt to appear more presidential, Donald Trump gave a speech on foreign policy Wednesday in which he called for the country to be "America first" in its dealings with the rest of the world. “Both our friends and our enemies put their countries above ours, and we—while being fair to them—must start doing the same," Trump said, per the Hill. Trump said the US has been making too many deals that hurt it and needs to have a "two-way street" in the future, CNN reports. He characterized the foreign policy of Obama and Clinton as "randomness" and "chaos" and criticized them for ignoring Islamic extremists. Here are some of the early reactions to Trump's speech: Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post, among others, knocked the speech's lack of specifics: "The 45-minute speech was heavy on what the country has done wrong under President Obama and decidedly light on the specifics of how Trump will fix things." CNN's Fareed Zakaria called the speech "bizarre" and "incoherent." But Ann Coulter was a fan. "GREATEST FOREIGN POLICY SPEECH SINCE WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS," she tweeted. Lindsey Graham's Twitter account, on the other hand, had burns for days. For example, "Are we sure the guy running the teleprompter has the pages in the right order?" and, "Not sure who is advising Trump on foreign policy but I can understand why he’s not revealing their names." David Sanger at the New York Times says Trump "left questions on the table" and included "many big, Trump-like themes" that nonetheless contradicted each other. White House press secretary Josh Earnest pounced on Trump's mispronunciation of Tanzania: "Apparently, the phonetics are not included on the teleprompter." That slip didn't bother Newt Gingrich at all. "Washington elites mock Trump for mispronouncing Tanzania," he tweeted. "They don't get it. He said the most important word correctly: America. He gets it." Finally, the New Republic's Ryu Spaeth was left unimpressed: "He declared that America is 'finally going to have a coherent foreign policy,' but literally nothing could be less coherent than the rambling, uncharacteristically telepromptered speech he gave today."