A Trump Doctrine in Foreign Policy? He Just Made it Clearer Than Ever

The current U.S. president doesn't tend to indulge in grand theory talk, but he effectively laid out a clear outline of what one might call the Trump Doctrine in foreign policy in Saudi Arabia.

In a notable speech, Trump outlined a approach that can be summed up as "less moralizing, more money." In other words, the pursuit of prosperity takes precedence over lofty rhetoric about democracy. This, in his telling, is a recipe for peace and stability.

Tuesday's speech in Riyadh was not, of course, the speech the last Republican president, George W. Bush, would have given for the first overseas trip of a presidential term. Nor was it the speech Barack Obama gave in his first presidential address to the Arab world, when he spoke at length about democracy to university students in Cairo.

Trump spoke to a business crowd. And he, in contrast, disparaged Western do-gooders who travel around the world trying to spread democracy. He had the CEOs on their feet applauding as he saluted the leadership of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A Shift Away from Ideological Habits

Trump's approach is a shift away from ideological habits and towards a more pragmatic, money-driven foreign policy.

"I think Trump deserves a lot of credit," said Tommy Vietor, one of the former Obama staffers who appeared on his podcast Pod Save The World. "He likes the fact that Trump doesn't care what Washington's foreign-policy 'blob' thinks."

Mixed Reactions in the Arab World

New York Times reporters in different parts of the Arab world chronicled the mixed reactions to Trump's speech and trip.

"Trump's Pledge to the Middle East: No More 'Lectures on How to Live,'" reads the title of a piece written by the New York Times. The article highlights that this approach is less hypocritical than the U.S. constantly talking about rights and democracy, but then selectively ignoring those things in places and moments that suit its own interests.

A More Nuanced Approach

"There needs to be a voice for people in these discussions in this part of the world," said Ben Rhodes, another former Obama staffer who appeared on Pod Save The World. "We shouldn't let Trump's accurate disregard for American interventionism lead you to believe that the only alternative is a bunch of white American CEOs and a bunch of royals sitting around and deciding everything themselves."

This approach is more nuanced than the traditional foreign policy in Washington, which can sometimes be too set in ideological habits.