President Donald Trump
Donald Trump is the 45th and current President of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, President Trump is campaigning for re-election in 2020.
Campaign Website: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/
WHERE DOES HE STAND ON KEY FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES?
Last Updated: [10/1/20]
| Positions Regarding: | Actions & Statements with Sources | |
| U.S Powers | In July 2020, the Trump administration announced it would permit the sale of military drones to other nations, bypassing a non-binding agreement by the 35-member Missile Technology Control Regime that prohibits such sales. In July 2020, the Trump administration announced it would withdraw from the U.N. World Health Organization, effective July 6, 2020. In June 2020, the Trump administration expanded sanctions against officials of the International Criminal Court, citing alleged infringement of U.S. sovereignty caused by the court’s investigation of U.S. military war crimes in Afghanistan. In May 2020, Trump announced he intended to invite Russia, Australia, South Korea and India to participate as guests at the postponed Group of 7 nations meeting, to be held in the United States later this year. In March 2019, Trump revoked an Obama-era requirement to publicly report civilian casualties caused by drone warfare. In a July 2018 interview, Trump questioned the relevance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and discussed with aides withdrawing the U.S. from the alliance. In January 2018, Trump signed an executive order to keep open the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a military prison that President Obama had promised to close. In May 2017, Trump addressed European heads of state in Brussels, calling on them to “finally contribute their fair share” to the alliance. In August 2017, Trump elevated the U.S. Cyber Command into a major war-fighting command to advance U.S. efforts in cyberspace. In June 2017, Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate accord, negotiated by the Obama administration. In a January 2016 interview, Trump said waterboarding and other recent methods of CIA-inflicted torture “absolutely works.” | |
| Military Budget | In late July 2020, Trump announced plans to remove 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany, relocate major U.S. NATO headquarters to Belgium, and send F-16 fighters to Italy. In June 2020, Trump announced his intention to limit U.S. troop presence in Germany to 25,000, reducing the current numbers by 9,500. In December 2019, Trump signed the $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020. The bill included a provision establishing a U.S. Space Force, staffed with 16,000 active duty airmen and civilians currently in the Air Force Space Command. In July 2019, Trump signed the $716 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2019. The bill included wide-ranging provisions on cybersecurity, stating that “all instruments of national power” will be used to defend, deter, and respond to significant cyber threats. In January 2018, the Trump administration released the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which emphasized the importance of the Asia-Pacific and European regions, with a particular focus on competing with China and Russia. | |
| Nuclear Weapons | In May 2020, the Trump administration announced it had begun negotiations with Russia on extending the New START nuclear weapons treaty, signed in 2010 and set to expire in February 2021. In May 2020, the Trump administration announced it would withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty, negotiated in 1992 to allow nations to fly over each other’s territory with elaborate sensor equipment to assure that they are not preparing for military action. Under the terms of the treaty, Trump’s formal notice to Russia and the other signatories starts a six-month clock toward final withdrawal. It requires a meeting of all the signatories within 60 days. In August 2019, Trump withdrew the U.S, from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, citing alleged repeated violations of the treaty by the Russian Federation over many years. In January 2019, Trump issued an updated Missile Defense Review that emphasized using new technologies and space-based systems to protect the United States and its allies. In January 2018, Trump released its Nuclear Posture Review, the first update since 2010, which included plans to create two new nuclear missiles for submarines. It also broadened the circumstances under which the U.S. may use nuclear weapons to encompass cyberattacks. | |
| Immigration | In September 2019, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican imports and shut down the border completely unless Mexico stepped up its own migration enforcement on the U.S. border. In July 2019, Trump announced a “safe third country” agreement with Guatemala that would require asylum seekers to remain in that country while their claims were processed. The U.S. later announced similar agreements had been reached with El Salvador and Honduras. In February 2019, Trump declared a national emergency, allowing him to divert funding from other sources, including the military, to fund construction of the border wall. In January 2019, Trump shut down the federal government for 35 days after Congress rejected his request for $5.7 billion to construct a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. In October 2018, Trump announced his intention to end birthright citizenship. In May 2018, Trump enacted a “zero-tolerance” policy for illegal border crossings, which led to mass detentions and the separation of more than 2,600 children from their parents. In January 2018, Trump ended temporary protected status for refugees from San Salvador and Haiti. In May 2018, he added refugees from Honduras to the list. In December 2017, Trump withdrew from the UN Global Compact for Migration, a framework for managing growing cross-border migration, to “reassert sovereignty over our borders.” In September 2017, Trump added Venezuela and North Korea to the list of countries banned entry to the U.S. under an earlier executive order. In addition, Trump announced that the U.S. would accept only 45,000 refugees in 2018, reduced from 85,000, and just 30,000 refugees in 2019. In September 2017, Trump announced that the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would be winding down in six months, leaving some 800,000 beneficiaries vulnerable to deportation. In June 2017, Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans plan, then stalled in the courts before implementation. The policy would have shielded 3.6 million immigrants from deportation. In February 2017, Trump created the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office to highlight and assist victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. In January 2017, Trump signed an executive order to withhold federal grants to sanctuary cities—an order declared unconstitutional in November 2017. Trump also ordered to begin immediate construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. In January 2017, Trump signed an executive order limiting travel from six primarily Muslim countries—Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—deemed to not have “sufficient security.” | |
| Russia | In June 2020, Trump tweeted in response to charges he ignored reports that Russia had paid Afghans to kill U.S. troops, “Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans look bad!!! In February 2020, the Senate voted to acquit Trump of two impeachment charges based on allegations he had pressured Ukraine into investigating the family of a potential political rival. In December 2019, the House of Representatives impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The charges related to allegations Trump had withheld military aid to pressure Ukraine into investigating business activities by former VP Joe Biden’s son. In December 2019, Trump imposed sanctions against U.S. companies involved in constructing Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. In August 2019, Trump said that Russia should be readmitted to the Group of 7 industrialized nations, which had expelled Russia following its annexation of Crimea in 2014. In July 2018, Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ending with a press conference during which Trump cast doubt on U.S. intelligence assessments that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election. In March 2018, Trump took a number of actions to counter Russian activities in the U.S., including sanctions on Russian hackers, criminal charges brought against Russian intelligence officers for a major U.S. data breach, and the expulsion of Russian diplomats. In August 2017, Trump reluctantly signed a veto-proof bill that levied new sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia, calling the legislation “seriously flawed.” In July 2017, Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who dismissed allegations that Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016 had cooperated with Moscow. | |
| China | During the September 2020 televised debate, Trump said, “[The COVID-19 pandemic] is China’s fault. It should have never happened. They stopped it from going in, but it was China’s fault. And, by the way, when you talk about numbers, you don’t know how many people died in China.” In August 2020, the Trump administration announced a set of visa and export restrictions targeting Chinese state-owned companies and officials involved in advancing China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. In August 2020, the Trump administration urged university endowments in the U.S. to divest themselves of Chinese stocks and disclose Chinese assets held in their index funds. In July 2020, Trump signed an executive order ending preferential U.S. treatment for Hong Kong, putting the Chinese territory on equal footing with mainland China on issues ranging from trade and travel to extradition. In July 2020, the Trump administration declared its formal opposition to most Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea, citing a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal at The Hague. In July 2020, the Trump administration announced sanctions imposed on a powerful Chinese government entity responsible for the development of Xinjiang, citing alleged human rights abuses in the province against the minority Uighur community. In May 2020, the Trump administration certified to Congress that it has determined the territory of Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China. Under provisions of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, the U.S. Secretary of State is required to evaluate annually whether the People’s Republic of China is complying with the territory’s Basic Law, which establishes its semiautonomous status within the nation. Also in May 2020, Trump announced that the U.S. would end its special relationship with Hong Kong because of China’s decision to impose national security laws on the territory. Under the special relationship, Hong Kong receives preferential treatment on trade, with few tariffs. Also in May 2020, Trump announced that the U.S. would withdraw from the World Health Organization, accusing the W.H.O. of helping the Chinese government cover up the early days of the coronavirus epidemic in China. In June 2019, the Trump administration proposed selling more than $2 billion in military equipment to Taiwan, including 108 tanks and a re-supply of portable anti-tank missile systems. In May 2019, Trump raised tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent, leading China to retaliate with parallel tariffs and U.S. goods. In addition, Trump imposed new restrictions on Chinese telecom firms, labeled China a currency manipulator, and threatened to halt all private U.S. investment in China. In January 2019, the Justice Department claimed in separate indictments that Huawei repeatedly tried to steal design information, and committed bank fraud to avoid U.S. sanctions regarding trade with Iran. In December 2018, Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jin-ping in Buenos Aires; the two agree to begin trade negotiations within 90 days. By November 2018, the U.S. had levied tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods, while China had imposed tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. products. In April 2018, Trump announced tariffs on foreign-made steel and aluminum. The restrictions exempted Canada and other U.S.-aligned nations. In March 2018, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a report that condemned China’s industrial policy and accused that nation of multiple trade violations, including discriminatory practices and theft of intellectual property. In 2017, the U.S. withdrew from the Obama administration’s 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, an Asian-focused trade agreement. | |
| Korea | In June 2019, Trump met briefly with President Kim Jong-un in North Korea in a third attempt to negotiate limits on North Korea’s nuclear weapons. In February 2019, Trump met a second time with Kim Jong-un, a meeting that ended without agreement after Trump refused Kim’s request for sanctions relief. North Korea later resumed its missile testing. In March 2018, Trump accepted an invitation from Kim Jong-un for direct negotiations to discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. In August 2017, Trump urged President Xi Jinping of China to apply more pressure on North Korea to rein in its development of nuclear weapons. In August 2017, Trump threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” after it test-launched ballistic missiles into the waters around Guam. | |
| Saudi Arabia | In October 2019, Trump reinforced the Saudi military with 3,000 U.S. troops as well as fighter jets and missile technology. The actions followed an Iranian missile attack in September on Saudi oil facilities. In July 2019, Trump vetoed three joint resolutions of Congress that would have prohibited arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for use in the war in Yemen. In May 2019, Trump declared a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, announcing the sale of more than $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan. In December 2018, Trump expressed support for the Saudi government despite a U.S. intelligence assessment that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the assassination of U.S. journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In May 2017, Trump visited Saudi Arabia in his first foreign trip since taking office, calling the kingdom a “great ally” of the U.S. | |
| Iran | In September 2020, the Trump administration announced plans to unilaterally reimpose U.N. sanctions against Iran, despite objections from Britain, France and Germany that the sanctions would have no legal effect. In January 2020, Trump ordered a drone strike that assassinated Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top military commander, who was widely considered responsible for coordinating operations against U.S. forces in the Middle East. In June 2019, Trump authorized military action on Iranian targets, but called back the operation at the last moment amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. In May 2018, Trump withdrew from the nonproliferation agreement and re-imposed sweeping economic sanctions on the country. He also issued new sanctions, including on oil exports and on Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. In October 2017, Trump announced that he would not recertify Iran’s compliance with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a five-nation agreement that halted Iran’s development of nuclear weapon In June 2017, Trump severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, alleging it supports terrorism and Iranian adventurism. | |
| Israel/Palestine | In September 2020, Trump presided over a White House ceremony where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed general principles of recognition called the Abraham Accords. In January 2020, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a new Middle East peace plan developed with no Palestinian participation. The plan would permit Israel to annex Jerusalem and large portions of the West Bank, and was summarily rejected by the Palestinian Authority and Arab states in the region. In March 2019, Trump signed a decree saying the U.S. recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a territory seized from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. In June 2018, the Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the UN Human Rights Council, citing its “chronic bias against Israel” and the alleged human rights violations by several sitting members, including China and Venezuela. In December 2017, Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel; in May 2018, the U.S. moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. In February 2017, the Trump administration said it would not push for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, backing away from decades of previous U.S. policy in the Middle East. | |
| Latin America | In August 2020, the Trump administration intercepted four Iranian tanker ships bound for Venezuela and seized a cargo of gasoline. The vessels, taken over in international waters, allegedly were in violation of sanctions imposed by the U.S. against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. In February 2020, the U.S. imposed sanctions against a Russian oil company for purchasing oil from Venezuela in defiance of U.S. pressure to prevent exports. In August 2019, Trump announced it would expand existing sanctions against Venezuela, issuing an executive order banning Americans from doing business with the Maduro government. In April 2019, the Trump administration endorsed a failed attempt to take over the government of Venezuela by opposition leader Juan Guaido and rebel soldiers. In January 2019, Trump announced he was recognizing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the nation’s interim president, and refused to rule out U.S. military action against the government of Nicolas Maduro. In September 2018, Trump negotiated a New NAFTA regional trade pact with Canada and Mexico, renaming it the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. In June 2017, Trump announced a partial rollback of the Obama administration’s rapprochement with Cuba, reinstating restrictions on travel and trade. In May 2017, Trump notified Congress he intended to renegotiate the NorthAmerican Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). | |
| Iraq | In September 2020, the Trump administration announced a reduction of 3,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, cutting in half the number of forces in the country. In May 2020, Trump issued a notice of continuation of the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq, originally declared by President George W. Bush in May 2003 pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The 2003 executive order dealt with “the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by obstacles to the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq.” | |
| Afghanistan | In June 2020, the Trump administration announced that investigators for the International Criminal Court would face economic penalties and travel restrictions if they pursued allegations that U.S. forces committed crimes against humanity in Afghanistan during 2003 and 2004, and later at clandestine CIA prisons.In April 2020, U.S. negotiators agreed to withdraw allied troops in exchange for assurance by the Taliban that it will deny sanctuary to terrorist groups. In October 2019, the U.S. announced it had withdrawn 2,000 troops from Afghanistan, leaving 12,000 U.S. troops and several thousand allied forces in the country. In September 2019, Trump declared an end to Afghan peace talks, cancelling a planned meeting at Camp David with representatives of the Taliban. In 2017, Trump announced a counter-terrorism approach to the 16-year war, increasing U.S. troop presence and loosening the rules of engagement. | |
| Syria | In September 2020, U.S. Special Operation forces twice deployed a drone Ninja Hellfire missile to assassinate a reputed al Qaeda leader in northern Syria. The explosive warhead in the secretive new missile is replaced with long blades to kill targeted individuals with less collateral damage. In August 2020, the Trump administration announced additional sanctions against Syria, permitting the U.S. to freeze the assets of any person or business dealing with the government of Bashar al-Assad regardless of nationality. In October 2019, Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. forces from northern Syria, then reversed course to deploy additional U.S. troops to “secure” Syria’s oil reserves. On the same day he announced the drone assassination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, in northern Syria. In a February 2019 interview, Trump said that U.S. troops should remain in Iraq to fight the Islamic State and “watch Iran.” In December 2018, Trump announced the withdrawal of more than 2,000 troops from Syria, and a plan to withdraw half of the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan. In April 2017, Trump ordered cruise missile strikes against a Syrian military airfield in retaliation for alleged use of chemical weapons by the government of Bashar al-Assad. |