Trump just gave his first foreign speech. Standing in Riyadh
before an assembly of Sunni political leaders, Trump urged them to crack down
on extremists and to “drive them from
this earth”. He implied that domestic dissent in Sunni countries was due to the malign influence of Iran, a Shia nation. He implied Iran was somehow responsible for ISIS, on the face of it an absurd notion.
Trump had started his speech with a description of a massive arms deal between Saudi Arabia and the United States, followed by a rambling assertion that killing was evil, therefore they should kill more killers. Or something. Anyway that the key to a more peaceful, prosperous and glorious future was more killing. And definitely more arms sales.
He gloated that this arms deal would create jobs. At no point in his speech did he draw a link between 'extremism' and any domestic policies where these acts occur. Lack of jobs there? None of his business. Lack of free speech? He didn't say.
