Former NATO Ambassador Visits San Diego To Talk Trump

Our top story on midday edition the issue of NATO and whether or not the US is committed to the alliance was a surprisingly hot topic during the presidential campaign. Donald trumps seeming ambivalence towards NATO has continued into the first weeks of his presidency. This is disturbed many people in and out of Washington including former US ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns. He is speaking at San Diego State University as part of the Hosler Institute of world affairs 75th anniversary. His topic is the foreign policy challenges for the Trump administration. Welcome. Thank you. You are ambassador to NATO under President George W. Bush. You supported Hillary Clinton in the election. Was it your concern about foreign-policy that made it impossible for you to support Donald Trump? That was one of the reasons. I served as a civil servant for 27 years. When I left the State Department became a private citizen I taught at Harvard University I thought Hillary Clinton was the much stronger candidate and I was concerned with what Donald Trump with think about America's role. We are a great country and very successful overseas. We have to be outward looking. Cannot think we can drop into ourselves and forget about our alliances or trade. It did concern me that he was talking down NATO. He's called NATO obsolete. I think NATO and our East Asia alliance that's the basis of American power today. That's what I observed when I worked for the -- Democratic and Republican. When it comes to his comments about NATO, is he making a break with tradition in our foreign policy or is it a difference in his tone in the phrases that he uses in the tweets that he sends. It's hard to say and to know if of President Trump -- he's the first president we've had in the history of the country with no prior experience in public service or politics. He is consistently denigrated NATO. He has consistently criticized one of the leaders of NATO. He seems to have and I don't mean this disrespectfully a New York real estate person's view of the world. These are economic competitors but also our political and military allies. On 9/11 other NATO allies came to us. We invoked article 5 of the NATO treaty. We have been attacked in New York and Washington and they all came to our defense. They all went to Afghanistan with us. They've lost people. They've had people wounded. I've seen the value and of President Trump has been dismissive of their value. He is not the first president to point out the fact that many NATO nations are not paying as much for their military as they have pledged to in our NATO alliance. I think -- looks bad to people in America that our allies are napping their full share. Is that a problem? It should not be. I agree I'm equally frustrated as is of President Trump. There are 29 countries in NATO. Each of us should spend 2% of our gross for our defense. President Bush, President Obama all pushed hard and I think present Trump's right to do that. At the same time you've got to reaffirm our interest in NATO and commitment to pay. That's what president has done. He has instilled this doubt that we are not going to be the leader of NATO and believe in it. I was in Munich last weekend. Vice President Pence and Kaine. We are dedicated to NATO he said. It was a good message I felt as did the other European leaders. That night in Melbourne, Florida president Trump held a political rally and he denounced NATO. The administration is not speaking with one voice. I think it's a problem in a of President Trump will come around to a more positive view. You will be speaking today about the foreign-policy challenges that face the Trump administration. What are the most pressing challenges in your opinion? A weakening Europe with political and economic crisis. Vladimir dividing Ukraine. The refugees that have over while many societies. These are issues. Present Trump will be going to Europe in the summer for a NATO summit. The failed states like Libya, Yemen. The humanitarian crisis. 12 million Syrian homeless. The greatest crisis since World War II. We are in San Diego and looking to the Pacific. Our relationship with China which is challenging. We are partners with China on climate change, stabilizing the global economy but we also competing -- as I drove over to your studio I looked at the great fleet in San Diego our most important naval base. We are also competing with China for that naval and air power in the Pacific. I want the United States to remain the dominant power. That's a difficult balancing act. There is so much on the plate and that is the tip of the iceberg. I've been speaking with US Ambassador. to NATO Nicholas Burns . Thank you. It's a great pleasure. Thank you. Congresswoman Susan Davis is entering her nighttime as the US representative for much of San Diego. And parts of East County. The Democrat has been home this week during the crest -- congressional recess. Dave spoke with KPBS Metro reporter Andrew Bowen about healthcare, border security and the movement to resist of President Trump. Thank you for your time. You held a town hall meeting earlier this week with your colleagues what did you hear from your constituents? I think what we know is that people are hungry. They want to be involved. They don't like what is happening in the country. They feel that our values, the protections that we hold dear, programs that they have come to feel circular about could go away and so they want to know what we are doing about that and what they can do?. What did you tell them? I think that people who want to be engaged need to think about what drives them. What are the best at? They asked me what's the best way I can help. I say the best way is what you are best that. What you feel would feel you would like to make a contribution in. For people that may be organizing but also be writing letters and alerting their colleagues, staying active in their workplace with people that they can talk to and learn from. We always have to come out -- Some of the Republicans in Congress have started coming out with their plans to replace the affordable care act? What's your take on those plans? Stuff I think those plans are sort of shells and there's nothing in those plans that guaranteed for people the policies that are part of the affordable care act now. What people want is to be sure if you have a pre-existing condition that you are not going to be charged more or have no access to health care in the future. They also want to be sure -- women want to be sure if they are women that they are not a pre-existing condition. There are so many pieces of the affordable care act that people have to come to appreciate and they really don't want those to go away. They are not sure and I think these plans don't guarantee for people that there even possible. That's really the problem here. They are no plans that you can look at. The Trump administration has come out with guidelines for implementing the president's border security plans. How do you see those guidelines or those rules as affecting San Diego? It will be greatly affected by that. I think that's why people are concerned on what's going to happen. How in fact are they going to finance this? Where is the money going to come from? They're asking for 15,000 new border agents. Where is that money going to come from? My worry is that some of that could come from programs like community policing. They were come out of the Justice Department. Monies we set aside for law enforcement. I think we all have an obligation to find out the answers to that and I think to push back. We need a more comprehensive approach to immigration. Everybody knows that and yet we had such a reluctant to move power. On that note of pushing back now that Republicans have control of both Congress and the White House, what you see your role as a Democrat? You resist and D push back against all of their policies or do try to find areas that you can cooperate and work together? They are driving the car of governance right now. They have the ability to not create gridlock and I think that we and I certainly am happy to work with them if they want to send that car running. I'm afraid that there still are to many enablers on the other side of the aisle right now that are not interested in making governance work. And I think we have a president who is not has not been interested in governing as much as being the owner of a lot of companies. There is a different mindset that takes place. We need to be sure that the people who are being asked to be part of the cabinet as well as others who are a part of governing today that we are making things work for them and not just putting so many roadblocks in the way and that's part of my concern. That's Congressman Susan Davis speaking with Andrew Bowen. The clarification. The Trump administration plans to hire 15,000 new agents for both border patrol and immigration and customs enforcement