President Trump is traveling across Asia in the next two weeks, discussing trade, nuclear threats from North Korea and China’s global influence.
News analyst Charlie Sennott joined BPR Monday to talk about the trip's first few days, saying the president's message was “belligerent and militant.”
“I don’t think [that] is the right tone to go in with, especially after having statements where he’s really undercutting his secretary of state again,” said Sennott. “[He’s] talking about pulling back resources for diplomacy at a time when that is what is most needed in the region — diplomacy, not military campaigns.”
Trump defended unfilled positions at the state department last week saying, “The one that matters is me. I'm the only one that matters, because when it comes to it, that's what the policy is going to be.”
Sennott said he found this position irresponsible and called it the “CEO mentality of the presidency.”
“The great presidents of this country have always had very wise counsel, particularly in an area as complicated as Asia, and particularly in an area as complicated as the Korean peninsula at a time of heightened tensions, and what many fear is one of the most dangerous teeterings toward nuclear conflict that we’ve had since World War II,” said Sennott.
Charlie Sennott is a news analyst at WGBH, where he also heads up the Ground Truth Project. To hear his interview in its entirety, click on the audio player above.
