Trump’s Speech: The Main Points

Trump declared that the US is living through a “new moment in its history”. In many ways, this is true; experts note, that this is a rare case where the ideas that are currently being circulated are neither Democrat nor Republic. This was a mix of plans, ideas, and directives that were borrowed from both parties.

“In general, he [Trump] tried to show himself to be a real man of state, and he has succeeded to a large extent”, - as The American Conservative writes about the president’s speech.

Trump marked out Russia, China, Iran, and the DPRK as competitors. According to the president, Moscow and Beijing are “challenging” the United States.

“All over the world, we are facing pariah regimes, terrorist groups, and competitors like Russia and China, who are challenging our national interests, our economy, and our values”, - president Trump said.

But it is important to note, that Trump tried to avoid the subject of Russia and to not go into too much detail. He marked Russia as a competitor, but he spoke neither of a serious threat nor of close cooperation. This is mainly related to the continuing investigation into his ‘Russian ties’, and also to daily accusations of him being a ‘Kremlin agent’.

Trump reaffirmed his military line.

“When we resist these [abovementioned – ed.] dangers, we know, that weakness is the surest path to conflict, and power without equal is our strongest defence”, - Trump said.

He emphasised, that he is turning to congress with a request to fully finance the US Armed Forces, having mentioned the need for modernisation and rebuilding the country’s nuclear potential. “With the hope of never having to use it, but making it so strong and powerful that it would deter any acts of aggression”, - Trump explained.

The American leader added, that he has hopes for a future in which countries unite and liquidate their nuclear arsenals. However, as we have seen in the last year, the US is developing its nuclear capabilities.

Trump also did not forget to say a few good words about Israel, a country that has become a priority US ally in the last year. The president promised in his speech to punish those countries who criticised the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to stop financing them.