USA Today: California Rep. Ted Lieu offers President Trump a foreign trip 'cheat sheet'
May 19, 2017
As President Trump prepares to depart on his first foreign trip in office, Rep. Ted Lieu offered his thoughts on what the president should keep in mind.
"As a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I created this simple sheet for President Trump's first overseas visit," the California Democrat posted Friday on Facebook.
His list, with our annotations:
- "DON'T leak classified information." (The president reportedly revealed highly sensitive intelligence about an Islamic State plot involving commercial aircraft.)
- "Israel = ally" (Said intelligence reportedly was acquired by Israel.)
- "Russia = not ally" (He reportedly made said disclosures to the Russian foreign minister and Russian ambassador.)
- "G-7 is not a golf reference." (Despite his criticisms of President Obama for golfing, Trump also has gone several times since his inauguration.)
- "DON'T talk about a Muslim ban with the Saudis. Actually, don't talk about banning Muslims ever again." (Saudi Arabia was not included in either version of the Trump administration's attempts at a temporary travel ban on Muslim-majority countries.)
- Heads up for Pope Francis meeting: He knows climate change is real, hates your proposed wall, and is not a fan of locker room talk. ("A person who only thinks about building walls, wherever they may be, and not about building bridges, is not a Christian," the pope said last year.)