House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said President Trump laid out the beginnings of a new “Trump doctrine,” which he described as “realism.”
“I think you just heard a big flavor of that tonight,” Mr. Ryan said in a town hall in his Wisconsin district, aired on CNN.
He said Mr. Trump’s speech represented a rejection of both the Bush and Obama practice of jumping from one-year strategy to one-year strategy, replacing those with something comprehensive. He also said it was the right move to reject giving a certain end-date for the American commitment.
“I’m pleased with the decision. I’m actually pleased with the way he went about making this decision,” Mr. Ryan said.
The new offensive in Afghanistan, announced in Mr. Trump’s first prime-time TV address to the nation on a single issue, put the president’s desire to project U.S. strength abroad ahead of his populist leanings for rebuilding America and avoiding foreign intervention.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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