Trump Will Make Good On His Promise to Keep the Country Free, Safe and Prosperous

James Jay Carafano

Politics, Americas

Last night’s speech helped clarify one important point: Trump’s deeds match his words.

I’ve advocated for not paying too much attention to Trump’s rhetoric, so it was odd to be asked to analyze the president’s speech to the joint session of Congress.

Words do matter. But decoding Trump can be difficult. He means what he says, but often even well-meaning advocates are confused about what he means.

What’s more, when it comes to strategic leadership, activities matter more than rhetoric. Still, it’s worth looking into this early-in-term speech, because we actually have presidential actions to help us understand it.

Last night’s address does tell us something interesting. Apparently, the president wants his words to match his deeds.

Here are five top examples of where Trump’s speech put into words what the president is trying to put into practice.

1. What America First really means.

“My job is not to represent the world. My job is to represent the United States of America. But we know that America is better off, when there is less conflict — not more.” Those words may have surprised some, but Trump’s cry to put “America First” was never an argument for isolationism or abandoning allies. Rather, it was an affirmation that the president’s task is to protect the country’s vital interests. That’s good news for America’s friends and allies. They are on our side because they—and we—recognize that we have common interests worth protecting.

There is plenty of evidence that the president is pursuing this course. Just look at his top-tier appointments to the foreign-policy and national-security team. Pence, Mattis, Tillerson, Kelly, Sessions, Haley, Pompeo and McMaster are all world-class professionals who understand the role of American leadership in protecting America’s interests. These appointments suggest that Trump’s foreign and national-security policy will be decidedly mainstream, in many ways more conventional than that of Bush or Obama.

2. NATO is nice.