Trump : claims that his authority is only constrained by his “morality.”
Trump: US President Donald Trump has dismissed international law as the main restraint on his activities, claiming that his personal morality is the only thing that really limits his authority on the global arena.
When asked whether there was anything that could stop him if he thought national security was at risk, Trump made the comments in an interview with The New York Times last week, the transcript of which was made public on Sunday.
When asked about constraints on his power, Trump said, “There is one thing.” “My personal ethics. My own thoughts. It’s excellent that it’s the only thing that can stop me.
Trump said, “I don’t need international law,” adding that he would act to preserve US interests rather than injure people, in response to a reporter’s follow-up question on if international law acted as a restraint.
Trump maintained that military might and might, not institutions, determine how people behave across the world. He attributed the restoration of American power to US military expenditures under his leadership and said that neither China nor Russia feared NATO “other than us.”
“Because I built the military, we are greatly feared,” he said. “We would be just like them if I didn’t rebuild the military.”
The president said that nations have the right to interfere in such situations and stated that the United States must take immediate action when it senses threats. Instead of adhering to what he called flexible interpretations of international law, he associated US authority overseas with deterrence and might.
When questioned, Trump used his record in office to back up his claims that he had “ended eight wars,” including battles that had raged for decades. Comparing his record to that of former President Barack Obama, he lamented that his efforts had not resulted in a Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump said that after ending eight wars, he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. “Very impressive.”
When asked about deploying ground forces to Venezuela or making other military choices, Trump acknowledged that such options were still feasible but failed to provide specific triggers.
Trump emphasized the importance of human judgment in leadership, arguing that international organizations and legal frameworks cannot completely bind top-level choices.
According to the president, international law was still important in theory, but only if it supported US security objectives. Trump said, “We have to keep the United States safe,” adding that Washington is also accountable for regions of the globe that it deems strategically significant.