Trump is not really putting America first

THERE is nothing original about President Donald Trump's "America First" foreign policy. Earlier presidents have also ranked the well-being of Americans uppermost in their policy calculations - without damaging US domestic and global interests. Mr Trump, however, is exposing the nation to significant risks because his interpretation of those policies differs radically from his predecessors.

Mr Trump's policy does not really put America first. It diminishes US influence abroad. His undisguised protectionism, moreover, threatens the health of the US economy because of US withdrawal from a key free trading pact, and his warning to allies abroad that he would engage them in trade wars.

Weighed against the evidence, the Trump administration's America First manifesto is not supported by facts. The White House has proclaimed in a statement that it is "committed to a foreign policy focused on American interests and American national security", and that the president's "peace through strength" strategy "will make possible a stable, more peaceful world with less conflict and more common ground".