[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3-S4]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            FOREIGN POLICY AND PRESIDENTIAL MORAL AUTHORITY

  Mr. SCHUMER. Finally, a word on national security. The Senate has a 
role in conducting the Nation's foreign policy, but as head of state, 
the President of the United States represents our country to the world. 
That is a very serious and very sober responsibility that requires 
restraint, intelligence, sound judgment, and a respect for the moral 
authority that comes with the awesome responsibility of being the 
world's sole remaining superpower.
  Over the course of the past year, President Trump, unfortunately, has 
progressively squandered the moral authority that comes with the 
Presidency

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of the United States--a moral authority that this country has taken 
generations to build, that helps us bring a light to the world and 
helps us economically in every other way, as the world has always 
looked up to America and our ideals.
  Unfortunately, that moral authority is declining under President 
Trump's leadership--and declining rapidly. It may have reached the low 
point yesterday when President Trump, in tweet after tweet, offered a 
very poor representation of the United States to the world. More than 
that, President Trump's ``foreign policy by tweet'' is doing serious 
damage to the country. While we have serious issues to address abroad, 
President Trump seems happy with macho boasts and belligerent threats 
that get us nowhere. If any one of us were in a classroom with someone 
who behaved as President Trump has, we would ostracize them; we would 
straighten them out. We don't hear a peep from the vast majority of our 
Republican colleagues about this, many of whom are hawks.
  We have serious issues to address abroad. President Trump's ``foreign 
policy by tweet'' will not advance our standing in the world. It will 
not reassure our allies or other nations that it is better to work with 
us than against us. What it will do--what it has already done, 
unfortunately, is unsettle our allies and embolden our adversaries. 
What it will do is cede leadership in the world to China, which is 
eagerly awaiting every opportunity to drive a wedge between our country 
and other countries around the world. Without a steady and reliable 
hand at the helm, our allies may be uncertain that they can continue to 
trust the United States to honor our commitments and maintain a steady 
course.
  China and Russia are rushing to fill the void left by an unsteady 
United States. President Xi of China aspired to this position of being 
a world leader in his new year's speech when he said that China, not 
the United States, would be the ``keeper of the international order'' 
in 2018. If President Trump continues snubbing our allies, recklessly 
threatening other nations, and showing leadership on the world stage 
that can only be described as puerile, the world may look to Beijing, 
not Washington, for international leadership.
  Again, I repeat: Where are our friends, the Republican hawks, who 
have been so concerned about America's leadership in the world, who 
have decried the fact that President Obama did not do enough for that 
leadership? If he were here, my dear friend, Senator John McCain, would 
typically stand up and speak about this, and hopefully he will be back 
soon to do so. But for the rest of my Republican friends, I would say 
with sincerity--not with partisanship, but out of love for the country 
and the leadership we have shown for decades and decades--that our 
Republican friends should, please, tell the President: Stop tweeting; 
start leading.
  We are almost through a calendar year of the Trump Presidency. 
President Trump can no longer be given the benefit of the doubt that 
comes with learning one of the toughest jobs in the world. My 
Republican colleagues should not be given a pass by the American people 
if they fail to speak out or take action against this behavior. Their 
silence, unfortunately--I have to say, I feel this sincerely--is 
complicity in the degradation of the Presidency and the power of this 
country.
  The American people expect our President to represent the United 
States with dignity and strength. That is not what we saw yesterday. It 
is time we all start speaking out against it.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Democratic leader.

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