President Trump is starting to get “his feet under him” in the foreign policy world after a weekend with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korea’s testing of a ballistic missile, a Democratic senator said Monday.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said on MSNBC Trump’s weekend with Abe seemed to be a positive step for him in the foreign policy realm. After suggesting the United States pull back from its relationship with Japan during the campaign, Trump’s response to North Korea’s missile test on Saturday shows that he’s realized the importance of American relationships in Asia, Coons said.
“He’s beginning to get his feet under him and realizing the global environment is a very difficult one,” Coons said.
Trump spent the weekend with Abe, first in Washington on Friday and then during the weekend in Florida. Trump made a joint statement with Abe on Saturday night after the North Korean missile test was announced and promised to support Japan “100 percent” in the face of North Korean aggression.
But Coons said that while Trump’s weekend with Abe was promising, the turmoil engulfing National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is concerning.
Flynn is under fire for potentially lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian government late last year. Flynn is reported to have discussed American sanctions with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. on the same day the Obama administration announced those sanctions.
Coons said he’s concerned about Flynn being in the position that he’s in and the “turmoil” on the National Security Council given Flynn’s “uneven relationship with the truth.”
“If I were the president, I would dismiss a national security adviser who lied to the vice president and lied on the record,” he said.
