Foreign officials courted Trump allies at the Republican convention
Top foreign officials courted Donald Trump's allies during the Republican National Convention, scoring face time and last-minute invites — all in order to build relationships if the former president returns to office.
MILWAUKEE — Top foreign officials courted Donald Trump's allies during the Republican National Convention, scoring face time and last-minute invites — all in order to build relationships if the former president returns to office.
Foreign officials were caught off guard when Trump won the White House in 2016, and they don’t want to find themselves flat-footed again.
“Now, it’s more urgent than ever,” said Daniel Fried, a former ambassador to Poland, who said the outreach has accelerated visibly since the debate last month — something he has encouraged. “It looks more likely that Trump will win. And they don’t want to wait.”
Trump’s "America First" approach to foreign policy and trade is a departure from a Republican Party that had long prioritized sweeping defense budgets and overseas intervention. His policies would also be a sharp break from those of President Joe Biden's administration and also potentially at odds with some of America's European allies.
Trump has warned that if NATO countries, for example, don't meet their NATO treaty defense spending obligations, he would not protect them from Moscow and would let Russia "do whatever the hell they want."
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