McMaster: Trump’s approach to foreign policy ‘disruptive’

by Rebecca Savransky - 05/03/17 8:53 AM ET

National security adviser H.R. McMaster says President Trump has a “disruptive” approach toward foreign policy.

“The president is not a super patient man,” McMaster said Tuesday night at an Israel Independence Day celebration in Washington, adding that Trump “does not have time to debate over doctrine,” Reuters reported.

“Some people have described him as disruptive. They’re right. And this is good — good because we can no longer afford to invest in policies that do not advance the interests and values of the United States and our allies.”

The comments come ahead of a scheduled meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

{mosads}The White House announced the visit last month. The two men spoke on the phone in early March, when Trump invited Abbas to join him at the White House to discuss the prospect of peace in the Middle East.

The president has regularly made his support for Israel clear throughout his campaign and in the early weeks of his presidency. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined him in Washington for a February meeting, one of Trump’s first with a foreign leader.

Last month, Trump said he wanted to see peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“There is no reason there’s not peace between Israel and the Palestinians — none whatsoever,” he told Reuters last month.

Trump also said his administration is discussing possible visits to Israel and Saudi Arabia in the second half of May.

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