This week’s report card finds President-elect Trump still active via Twitter and challenging President Obama on foreign and military policy. Grader Jed Babbin describes a president-elect who is obviously eager to get going and shut down Obama and his policies.
Jed Babbin
President-elect Trump got everybody’s attention this week with his tweet on modernizing the nuclear arsenal. He wrote, “The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes.” At about the same time, Russian strongman Vladimir Putin said almost the same thing about Russia’s nuclear arsenal.
Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition – NOT!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
When Trump appeared on MSNBC, he was asked about the two statements. He answered, “Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass. And outlast them all.” Putin can’t have expected that, and it may keep him off balance for a while. The Left, especially the dominant media voices, went off the rails. Trump must enjoy that, so his tweets and statements about such things amount to a twofer.
We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but…….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
The aftershocks of the U.S. abstention to last week’s anti-Israel U.N. Security Council resolution continue around the world. Secretary of State John Kerry’s hour-long scolding of Israel left no doubt that President Obama is intent on solidifying the Palestinian position as the U.S. position (i.e., that Israel can’t exist outside its pre-1967 war borders) and will continue to attempt this right up to January 20th. Trump made his intent equally clear by tweeting that Israel should “stay strong” and that help would arrive on Inauguration Day.
not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016
Trump rebelled at the roadblocks Obama was setting. He — tweeting of course — wrote, “Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition — NOT!”
And there’s still three weeks to go. Obama isn’t done trying to tie Trump’s hands yet, so Trump will have a lot more to deal with after Inauguration Day.
Grade B
Jed Babbin is an Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him @jedbabbin
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
