Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said Friday that President Trump’s slogan, “America first,” does not mean “America alone.”
“America first, does that mean America is alone?” Ernst said at the Conservative Political Action Conference Friday. “And I would say absolutely not. It just simply means that America is leading from a position of strength and I appreciate that very much.”
Ernst, a combat veteran, pointed to the teamwork between the U.S. and its allies in providing humanitarian aid to countries such as Ukraine in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annexation of the country in 2014 as examples of “America first” policy.
“The support that we give to these other countries, we’re not alone in doing that,” Ernst said. “We have built our alliances through many decades of very hard work.”
Ernst also cited, as an example of American leadership, the response to the crisis in Venezuela. The U.S. was first to officially recognize Juan Guaido as the country’s interim president following President Nicolas Maduro’s ouster. They argued the U.S.’ action paved the way for approximately 50 countries to follow.
“We are showing leadership all around the globe,” Ernst said. “That is America first: when we are stepping forward and we are leading and others are following.”
White House National Trade Council Director Pete Navarro, in introducing Ernst and Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, at the conference, told attendees that “economic security is national security.”
Navarro said that the new conventional arms transfer deals negotiated by the White House provide allies better military capability to carry out their own national defense without the need of American boots on the ground.
“In the global market, our allies and partners want to buy American. They know U.S. industries produce the most technologically sophisticated and effective defense systems in the world,” he said, adding that there is more regional stability in defense of U.S. interests when allies have the arms needed to protect their own national security.
Navarro also touted the administration’s economic policies and pointed to the connection between a sound economic investment and jobs plan and the greater strategy. He argued that by loosening economic regulations and ramping up investment in critical defense industries, the U.S. will produce high wage jobs while meeting security priorities.
“More defense sales create more jobs at home and reduces our trade deficit with the world,” Navarro said.
