Kissinger On Trump’s Foreign Policy: ‘It’s An Extraordinary Opportunity’

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Phillip Stucky Political Reporter
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Dr. Henry Kissinger visited CBS’s John Dickerson on “Face the Nation” Sunday and had some very positive things to say about Republican President-elect Donald Trump.

“I had not thought of President Trump as a presidential candidate until he became a presidential candidate,” the longtime foreign policy adviser to multiple presidents told Dickerson about Trump’s chances during the election.

“In his first appearances, I thought this was a transitory phenomenon, but I give him huge credit for having analyzed a key aspect of the American situation, develop a strategy, carry it out against the leadership of his own party, and prevailing.”

“Now Trump’s challenge is to apply that same skill to the international situation,” Kissinger concluded.

Kissinger said about foreign leaders’ expectations of the president-elect, “Donald Trump is a phenomenon that foreign countries haven’t seen so it is a shocking experience to them that he came into office. At the same time, it’s an extraordinary opportunity, and I believe he has the possibility of going down in history as a very considerable president.”

“Every country now has two things to consider,” Kissinger concluded. “They have to accept the previous president basically withdrew America from international politics, so that they had to make their own assessment, and that there is a new president, and he is asking a lot of unfamiliar questions. Because of this one could imagine that something remarkable and new could emerge out of it.”

Trump already made bold choices on the global stage when he spoke with the president of Taiwan, a move international experts called irresponsible due to the strong commitment China has to limiting Western recognition of the people of Taiwan.

Trump’s bold moves also include announcing Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, which shocked some because he has no political experience and holds close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. While Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel is known for his strong commitment to moving the U.S. embassy to the holy city of Jerusalem, a plan Palestinian groups strongly condemn.

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