Trump, in Poland, Asks if West Has the Will to Survive [View all]

[spanone]

WARSAW — President Trump said on Thursday that Western civilization was at risk of decline, bringing a message about “radical Islamic terrorism” and “the creep of government bureaucracy” to the one European capital he views as most hospitable to his nationalist message.

Mr. Trump, who broke with tradition by attacking American leaders and institutions while abroad, delivered his stark message in a speech to a friendly Polish crowd before a two-day summit meeting of Group of 20 leaders in Germany. There, he will encounter Western leaders who are deeply skeptical of his persona and his policies, ranging from addressing climate change to confronting Russia.

Mr. Trump roused his Polish hosts by recounting the country’s history of resistance to invaders, including Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. But he said nothing about the right-wing government’s crackdown on judges and journalists and its refusal to accept more migrants, policies that have upset European Union leaders. He instead praised Poland as a defender of liberty in the face of existential threats.

“The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” he said. “Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/world/europe/donald-trump-poland-speech.html