Donald Trump’s foreign policy speech [Monday] in Youngstown, Ohio, was well-conceived and well-delivered. He outlined three major pillars to make America great and respected again around the world.

• Trump pledged to aggressively confront and defeat radical Islam.

• He vowed to make national security the primary concern in our immigration policy with a new system of “extreme vetting.”

• Lastly, he promised to end the hubris of nation building.

Trump forcefully condemned the atrocities committed by ISIS, including the genocide of Christians in the Middle East. He said, “ISIS is rounding-up what it calls the ‘nation of the cross’ in a campaign of genocide. We cannot let this evil continue.”

Newt Gingrich said, “This is in some ways is the most important foreign policy speech since Ronald Reagan.” Indeed, Trump is modeling his approach after Reagan’s. Just consider these excerpts:

“In winning the Cold War, President Ronald Reagan repeatedly touted the superiority of freedom over communism, and called the USSR the Evil Empire… But just like we couldn’t defeat communism without … explaining its evils — we can’t defeat Radical Islamic Terrorism unless we do the same.



"This also means we have to promote the exceptional virtues of our own way of life — and expecting that newcomers to our society do the same. Pride in our institutions, our history and our values should be taught by parents and teachers, and impressed upon all who join our society.



"Assimilation is not an act of hostility, but an expression of compassion. Our system of government, and our American culture, is the best in the world and will produce the best outcomes for all who adopt it. This approach will not only make us safer, but bring us closer together as a country.



"Renewing this spirit of Americanism will help heal the divisions in our country. It will do so by emphasizing what we have in common — not what pulls us apart.”

That is exactly what I believe our country — and, quite frankly, Western Civilization — desperately needs right now — a rededication to our values and the confidence to fight for them! That is what Reagan did for America, and I believe Donald Trump can make America great again.

“Extreme Vetting”

Predictably, big media and the left are distorting elements of Trump’s address. They are carping on his call for a new approach to immigration that puts our national security first. Here’s how Trump explained it, some of which may sound familiar to you:

“Pew polling shows that in many of the countries from which we draw large numbers of immigrants, extreme views about religion — such as the death penalty for those who leave the faith — are commonplace. A Trump Administration will establish a clear principle that will govern all decisions pertaining to immigration: we should only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people.



"In the Cold War, we had an ideological screening test. The time is overdue to develop a new screening test for the threats we face today… we must also screen out any who have hostile attitudes towards our country or its principles — or who believe that Sharia law should supplant American law. 



"Those who do not believe in our Constitution, or who support bigotry and hatred, will not be admitted for immigration into the country.”

Incredibly, this is the part of the speech that is getting the most criticism. My friends, it is a sign of the sickness within our elites that they think it is controversial to try to keep enemies out of the United States.

Trump’s proposal is well within the mainstream of American thought. A new poll finds that only 36% of Americans support bringing in more Syrian refugees.

The reaction of elite opinion to Trump’s common sense proposals shows that our elites are controversial and out-of-touch. It is evidence of their intolerance for common sense.

By the way, I couldn’t help but notice the irony that on the day Trump delivered his speech promising to aggressively confront radical Islam, Barack Obama facilitated the biggest “jail break” of jihadists in the history of our country. He released 15 hardened jihadis from Gitmo, including a man who served as Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard.

In the America I grew up in, a president and political party that supported such policies — freeing America’s enemies during a war — would be finished with the American public.

Milwaukee Update

[…] After two days of rioting (not protesting) there was more order in Milwaukee [Monday] night after authorities belatedly instituted a curfew for teenagers.

From everything we know, including from statements by the Democrat mayor of Milwaukee, the police shooting of an armed black criminal by a black officer was a legitimate use of force. Yet Hillary Clinton’s reaction to the rioting in Milwaukee was this: “Look at what’s happening in Milwaukee right now. We’ve got urgent work to do to rebuild trust between police and communities.”

That is disgusting moral equivalence that equates murderous thugs, who make inner cities unlivable, with the policemen of all races, who every day have to confront the failures of big city liberalism.

Just like Obama, Hillary Clinton is unwilling to condemn the hatred directed at the police and the growing racism on the left that is festering within parts of the Black Lives Matter movement, which by definition is built on a racist idea and a completely false narrative.

If you want more evidence of just how big of a problem we are facing, consider this: The Associated Press reports that radical communists from Chicago were stirring the pot in Milwaukee, and were “there to ‘support a revolution.’” Police chief Ed Flynn said [Monday] that members of the Revolutionary Communist Party “showed up and actually they’re the ones who started to cause problems.”

But it gets worse. Sherelle Smith, sister of Sylville Smith who was shot and killed by a Milwaukee police officer Saturday, told a local TV station that she doesn’t believe her brother was armed.

“If my brother did have his gun in his hand, why he didn’t shoot back?” Smith asked. “If he’s gonna go out, why not go out with a fight? Why not go out with a big bang?”

In other words, she knew her brother so well that she believes he would have taken out a cop on the way to being taken out himself. She’s telling us in a very direct way exactly what went through the mind of the black policeman who defended his own life!

Congress Demands Answers

Republicans in Congress are turning up the heat on Hillary Clinton and demanding answers from the Obama Justice Department. Here’s the latest:

• Rep. Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia asking for an investigation into whether the former secretary of state committed perjury during her testimony before Congress. Their letter outlines four specific examples and contrasts Clinton’s statements against those of FBI Director James Comey.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee is demanding answers as to why the Justice Department rejected FBI requests for an investigation of the Clinton Foundation. In a ten-page letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Chairman Charles Grassley said, “It appears that the DOJ has turned a blind eye and refused to investigate… At this point, the American people and Congress are owed answers.”

While I applaud Republicans for pressing their case, they need to be far more forceful in presenting it to the American people. I have no expectation that they will get anywhere with Obama’s Justice Department, and they should be prepared for the next steps — including formal censure and contempt resolutions — anything to remind the voters that the Clintons are corrupt.

Crooked Hillary has demonstrated a penchant for putting personal profit above principle. She has compromised our national security secrets. She cannot become president of the United States!