After refusing to reveal the names he is consulting with on foreign affairs, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday said that he considers himself as his campaign’s foreign policy advisor.
“I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things,” Trump said during a phone interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program after co-host Mika Brzezinski asked, “Who are you talking to consistently since we have some dire foreign policy issues percolating around the world right now?”
“I know what I’m doing and I listen to a lot of people, I talk to a lot of people and at the appropriate time I’ll tell you who the people are,” Trump said. “But my primary consultant is myself and I have a good instinct for this stuff.”
In her victory speech after winning five primary states, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton hit Trump on his foreign policy approach. “Our commander in chief has to be able to defend our country, not embarrass it, engage our allies, not alienate them, defeat our adversaries, not embolden them,” she said. “When we have a candidate for president call for rounding up 12 million immigrants, banning all Muslims from entering United States, when he embraces torture, that doesn’t make him strong, it makes him wrong.”
For weeks, the Trump campaign has promised to reveal a list of foreign policy advisors. Earlier this week, Trump said, “Yes, there is a team. Well, there’s not a team. I’m going to be forming a team at the appropriate time. I’ve met with far more than three people.”
In a recent interview with Jewish Insider, Trump’s national political director Michael Glassner promised that the Republican presidential front-runner would soon present a detailed plan as it relates to U.S. foreign aid to Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Trump is scheduled to speak at AIPAC’s Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., next Monday. On Wednesday, Trump said on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends” that as a result of his AIPAC appearance, he will skip the final GOP primary debate in Salt Lake City, saying that “nobody told me about the debate” prior to committing to the speech.
