Without using his name, Arizona GOP Senator John McCain vehemently attacked President Donald Trump and the permeating sense of "authoritarianism" that the Trump Administration is creating, as he sees it. McCain, who recently described the Trump Administration as being in "disarray," made his comments to the members of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany. As President of the Senate Armed Services Committee, McCain is considered a credible source of information when speaking of military matters, or when discussing the current state of affairs with the Trump Administration.
Trump on NATO
Since Trump has a history of making overtly critical comments about NATO, his commitment to its success is in question among many observers, both at home and abroad. Furthermore, Trump's affinity for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is well-documented and Putin has been accused of seeking to dismantle the NATO Alliance by Jim Mattis, Trump's Defense Secretary.
McCain tackles Trump's immigration policy
Without using Trump's name, McCain attacked the President's immigration policy, especially his policy of not allowing muslim immigrants into the United States. The anti-Muslim policy was decreed in an executive order that was blocked by the courts and upheld by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
McCain, speaking of Trump's anti-immigration policies towards Muslims, Hispanics and others, made reference to the "hardening resentment we see toward immigrants, and refugees, and minority groups, especially Muslims," (ABC News, 2/17/17).
McCain discusses Trump Administration's "lies"
McCain accused Trump engendering an atmosphere of blame when attacking the media as being "dishonest." According to McCain, Trump has ignored or turned away from pertinent information and facts and then blamed others, including the media, for his own "miscues." Trump even has gone so far as to call the media "the enemy of the American People," (ABC News, 2/17/17).
McCain stated that the result of this has been "an unwillingness to separate truth from lies," (ABC News,2/17/17), which he says has "alarmed" him.
"Laying down the mantle"
McCain expressed concern at the conference that with the perplexity of Trump's ties to Russia, his policies pertaining to NATO and his anti-immigration policies, that "America is laying down the mantle of global leadership," (ABC News, 2/17/17).
McCain reassured those at the conference that such is not the intention of the Americans who had taken the time to travel to Munich to speak at the conference, including Mattis, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and Vice-President Mike Pence.
