LONDON — President Trump is not trying to tear apart the European Union. He is also not bent on abandoning any of the big multinational institutions — NATO, the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and others — that the U.S. built up after World War II.
He is, however, committed to putting American interests first in foreign policy, and that means big institutions found to be no longer effective in promoting Western values of freedom and human rights must reform or face abandonment from Washington.
That was the central message of Mike Pompeo, at first Mr. Trump’s chief spy and now his chief diplomat, charged with explaining the shift in Washington to a wary world. The secretary of state and former CIA chief has served as the tip of the spear in translating Mr. Trump’s “America First” vision to nervous European leaders, and he spoke expansively of the president’s mission in a wide-ranging interview with The Washington Times this week as he rounded out his second tour through the capitals of the continent in less than a month.
“I hear this public narrative of the dissension,” said Mr. Pompeo, whose trip aligned with Mr. Trump’s participation in D-Day 75th anniversary celebrations in France. He was referring to trans-Atlantic hand-wringing over the Trump administration’s policy on Iran, its skepticism over climate change and its outspoken support for nationalist sovereignty movements on a continent long dominated by multilateralism.
At the end of the day, Mr. Pompeo said, Mr. Trump’s goal is basic: “Make sure we take care of Americans, right?”
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