‘America First’: Trump unveils foreign policy

Washington, April 28 

Emboldened by fresh primary wins, Republican front-runner Donald Trump has unveiled his "America first" foreign policy and vowed to halt the spread of radical Islam, eliminate the IS, prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and improve ties with Russia and China.

"I'd like to talk today about how to develop a new foreign policy direction for our country, one that replaces randomness with purpose, ideology with strategy, and chaos with peace," 69-year-old Trump said, asserting that it's time to "shake the rust off" America's foreign policy.

"My foreign policy will always put the interests of the American people and American security above all else," the Republican leader said. "It has to be first. Has to be." Trump did not mention India in his major foreign policy speech yesterday, but said that his administration would seek to improve ties with Russia and China.

The speech came a day after Trump declared himself as a "presumptive" Republican nominee when he won primaries in all the five states - Maryland, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

He said sending troops overseas would be his last option and would depend diplomacy and country's economic power.

“To our friends and allies, I say America is going to be strong again. America is going to be reliable again. It’s going to be a great and reliable ally again. It’s going to be a friend again. We’re going to finally have a coherent foreign policy based upon American interests and the shared interests of our allies," he said. Observing that the US needs a long-term plan to halt the spread and reach of radical Islam, Trump said containing the spread of radical Islam must be a major foreign policy goal of the United States and indeed the world. 

Meanwhile, Trump hinted at seeking help from India and others to address the "problem" of what he described as a "semi-unstable" nuclear-armed Pakistan. Trump's remarks came during a town-hall in Indianapolis in response to a question on how he would deal with countries like Pakistan which has sometimes "double dealt" with the US. — PTI

Cruz announced Fiorina as his running mate

• A day after getting mauled by front-runner Donald Trump in five Republican presidential primaries, Texas Senator Ted Cruz has announced former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina as his vice-presidential running mate in a bid to resuscitate his White House aspirations
• Fiorina, 61, was a presidential candidate herself before she dropped out of the race early in the primary season. By naming Fiorina, observers believe the Tea Party favourite would gain the necessary momentum to defeat Trump in the next primary State of Indiana
• Cruz, 45, is currently trailing Trump by more than 400 delegates and a win in Indiana next week would make it easier for the New Yorker billionaire to reach the 1237 delegates to become GOP's presidential nominee

Albright slams ‘incoherent’ foreign policy

Donald Trump is running the most “reckless and dangerous” presidential campaign in modern history, former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright said as she joined others in slamming the Trump for his ‘incoherent’foreign policy

“I have gotten to listen to a lot of foreign policy speeches over the years but I have got to tell you, I have never seen such a combination of simplistic slogans, contradictions and misstatements in one speech,” Albright said