WASHINGTON—U.S. President Donald Trump declared a new national security strategy on Monday, stressing the “America first” message of his 2016 campaign and faulting previous U.S. leaders for failing to measure up to it and look out for the nation’s citizens.“Our leaders engaged in nation building abroad while they failed to build up and replenish our nation at home,” he said, pointing to the economy’s strong performance and predicting even better under his policies.His security strategy envisions nations in constant competition, reverses Obama-era warnings on climate change and affirms that the United States will unilaterally defend its sovereignty, even if that means risking existing the agreements with other countries that have dominated the United States’ foreign policy since the Cold War.Read the latest news on U.S. Donald TrumpThe strategy from the Republican president could sharply alter U.S. international relationships if fully implemented. It focuses on four main themes: protecting the homeland, promoting American prosperity, demonstrating peace through strength and advancing American influence in an ever-competitive world.Trump’s doctrine holds that nation-states are in perpetual competition and that the U.S. must fight on all fronts to protect and defend its sovereignty from friend and foe alike. While the administration often says that “America First” does not mean “America Alone,” the national security strategy makes clear that the United States will stand up for itself even if that means acting unilaterally or alienating others on issues such as trade, climate change and immigration.The last such strategy document, prepared by President Barack Obama in 2015, declared climate change an “urgent and growing threat to our national security.” The Trump plan removes that determination — following the administration’s threat to pull out of the Paris climate ...
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