Madeleine Albright unleashes on Donald Trump’s foreign policy speech

DONALD Trump’s first attempt at a restrained foreign policy speech has been met with a blistering attack by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

FORMER US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has launched a blistering take-down of Donald Trump’s foreign policy address that vowed to put “America first”.

As the Republican frontrunner inched closer to the White House following his win of five more primaries, Trump took on a presidential air to deliver an unusually restrained and sobering speech outlining his foreign policy to an audience of experts in Washington.

But Madeleine Albright — the first female Secretary of State, nominated under Bill Clinton’s presidency — was far from impressed, taking to Twitter to poke holes in Trump’s first attempt at a foreign policy speech, “something I have experience with,” she wrote.

The Hillary Clinton supporter decided she’d respond using Trump’s “favourite method of communication”: tackling his doctrine’s flaws head on.

The so-called #TrumpDoctrine is simply bellicose rhetoric strung together with contradictory statements. Bluster is no strategy, Mr. Trump.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

She unleashed on his lack of experience in diplomacy and foreign trade.

Trump demonstrates no real understanding of complex international issues and has no serious proposals for how to address them.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

Trump’s understanding of trade policy is simplistic at best, and would have disastrous effects on our economy.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

She listed examples of what she described as contradictory statements.

Trump speaks about regaining the trust of our allies, but then threatens to pull out of NATO.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

Trump preaches unpredictability as a policy, then asks us to trust him with the nuclear codes.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

Trump praises Western values, then questions why we should support democracy in other countries.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

Citing Trump’s new “America First” slogan, Albright said this recalled the “self-defeating isolationism of the 1930s”.

She took aim at Trump’s extreme views on torture and ethnic diversity.

Trump’s views on torture are completely out of sync with recommendations by military leaders and America’s values.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

Trump’s proposals to ban Muslims and deport immigrants would undermine America’s greatest strengths: diversity and tolerance.

— Madeleine Albright (@madeleine) April 27, 2016

Usually known for his wild and belligerent leadership style, Trump’s sobering foreign policy address surprised many.

The billionaire businessman outlined a doctrine that he said would put American interests first, leaving allies to fend for themselves if they didn’t contribute financially to back up security agreements. He vowed to send US troops into combat only as a last resort, a break from years of hawkish Republican foreign policy.

Madeleight Albright, pictured right, joins Hillary Clinton at a campaign event.

“Our goal is peace and prosperity, not war and destruction,” he declared in the 38-minute speech that was heavy on broad statements and light on specific policy details, including how he would defeat Islamic State. Unlike his rambunctious, freewheeling rallies, Trump read prepared remarks in a measured tone off a teleprompter — a practice he tends to mock his rivals for employing. His speech took place against a classic blue backdrop with American flags in a major shift from the loud music and bright, flashy colours that have become associated with his campaign.

He also used the address to target Clinton, his expected opponent in a general election. He assailed her handling of the deadly 2012 attack on Americans in Benghazi, Libya, and said that during her tenure as secretary of state, the US had a “reckless, rudderless and aimless foreign policy.”

Clinton’s campaign sees foreign policy as an area ripe for a sharp general election contrast with Trump, given her years at the State Department and his lack of experience.

Albright called Trump’s views “incoherent” in a campaign conference call before her Twitter tirade.

“I’ve never seen such a combo of simplistic slogans and contradictions and misstatements in one speech,” Albright said.

Meanwhile Trump’s rival Ted Cruz made a desperate attempt to jolt the GOP race by tapping Carly Fiorina as his vice presidential running mate. He made the announcement during a rally in Indiana, a state he must win next week in order to keep his White House hopes alive.

He cast the decision as a way to give voters confidence in their choice if they vote for him. “You deserve to know exactly where a candidate stands,” he said