Donald Trump’s speech: ‘America first,’ but an America absent from the world

His slogan is “America First.” On Thursday night, Donald Trump also made clear his campaign means an America absent from the world.

Before even delivering his big speech Thursday night in Cleveland, Trump was sending tremors through America’s allies, threatening to turn generations of U.S. foreign policy on its head, and even breaking with longstanding Republican tradition.

He told The New York Times that he would not guarantee the U.S. would come to the aid of its NATO allies, let’s say in case of a Russian invasion. Instead, he said he would consider their payments to the United States before offering protection.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a speech during the evening session on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention on July 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump received the number of votes needed to secure the party's nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Cleveland, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Republican National Convention kicked off on July 18.

10 takeaways from Donald Trump's Republican Convention

This transactional approach to national security would be a massive shift, and indeed prompted a response from Estonia, whose president indignantly tweeted from the Baltics that it had come to America’s defense after 9/11, no questions asked.

READ: Trump’s midnight in America

Indeed, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was forced to remind Trump that NATO had kept the peace in Europe since World War II – good for Europe, and good for the United States.

Even the Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, said he disagreed with Trump on NATO.

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Donald Trump, the Republican Party's presidential nominee, delivers a speech Thursday at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. "I have had a truly great life in business," he said. "But now, my sole and exclusive mission is to go to work for our country -- to go to work for you. It's time to deliver a victory for the American people."

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Trump is seen on screen as balloons fall from the ceiling of Quicken Loans Arena.

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Trump's family joins him on stage along with the family of his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.

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Confetti falls at the end of Trump's acceptance speech.

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Trump and Pence acknowledge the audience after Trump's speech.

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Trump claps on stage with his wife, Melania.

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The Trumps embrace on stage.

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Trump hugs his son Barron after his address, which lasted well over an hour.

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Trump, like many of the convention's speakers this week, went after Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. "Big business, elite media and major donors are lining up behind the campaign of my opponent because they know she will keep our rigged system in place," he said. "They are throwing money at her because they have total control over everything she does. She is their puppet, and they pull the strings."

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Trump delivers his speech.

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Trump said the United States will be a nation of "generosity and warmth" and "law and order."

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A delegate listens to Trump's speech.

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"Nobody knows the system better than me, which is why I alone can fix it," Trump said. "My message is that things have to change -- and they have to change right now."

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Trump accepts the party's nomination as he begins his speech.

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Trump's daughter Ivanka takes the stage Thursday before giving a speech introducing her father.

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"This is the moment, and Donald Trump is the person to make America great again!" Ivanka Trump said to a big cheer. She called her father a fighter, saying now he will "fight for his country."

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Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, became the first openly gay person to speak the Republican National Convention. "I am proud to be gay," he told the crowd Thursday. "I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American."

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Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, delivers a speech on Thursday. "We are the party of new ideas in a changing and faster world than ever before," he said.

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Legendary basketball coach Bob Knight delivers a video message to the crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.

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Motivational speaker Brock Mealer was among those who spoke on Thursday.

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A delegate dressed as Hillary Clinton is accosted by another delegate on Thursday.

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Delegates stand for the national anthem Thursday.

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Young singer Heavenly Joy performs.

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Trump gives a thumbs-up Wednesday after Pence gave his speech.

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Trump gives an "air kiss" to Pence after Pence's speech.

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Pence receives a kiss from his mother, Nancy, as his family joins him on stage after his speech.

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Pence acknowledges the crowd as he walks on stage to deliver his speech.

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"I'm a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order," Pence told the crowd.

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich delivers a speech on Wednesday.

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Trump smiles on the floor of the convention on Wednesday.

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Eric Trump, one of Donald Trump's sons, walks on stage to deliver a speech Wednesday.

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Trump listens to his son's speech along with other members of his family on Wednesday.

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Delegates shout on the floor of the arena on Wednesday.

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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, Trump's main adversary in the primaries, was booed at the end of his speech when it was clear he wasn't endorsing Trump. Cruz told people to "vote your conscience."

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People react to Cruz's speech.

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Cruz gives a thumbs-up as he walks off stage.

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U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, another one of Trump's primary opponents, delivers a video message.

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A delegate checks his phone at the arena.

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker delivers a speech Wednesday. "A vote for anyone other than Donald Trump in November is a vote for Hillary Clinton," the former presidential candidate said.

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Delegates hold up signs Wednesday.

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Retired astronaut Eileen Collins waves to the crowd before delivering a speech Wednesday.

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Trump addresses the crowd on Tuesday. "We're going to make America great again," he said in a video message shortly after winning the nomination. "Have a fantastic evening. I'll see you tomorrow night, I'll see you Thursday night, and we will win in November."

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Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and former presidential candidate, speaks on stage Tuesday. He said Trump skeptics who would vote for Hillary Clinton are "not using their God-given brain to think about what they're saying. ... She'll be appointing people who will have an effect on us for generations. And America may never recover."

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A member of the activist group Code Pink protests inside the arena during Carson's speech.

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Donald Trump Jr. delivers a speech Tuesday. "We need to elect a man who has a track record of accomplishing the impossible," he said of his father.

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Members of the Trump family watch as Donald Trump Jr. gives his speech.

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Donald Trump's daughter Tiffany addresses the crowd at Quicken Loans Arena. "Whatever (my father) does, he gives it all and does it well," she said on Tuesday. "His desire for excellence is contagious. He possesses a unique gift for bringing that out in others."

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U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst waves as she stands with other first-term senators on Tuesday.

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers a speech that was heavily critical of the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. "It is our obligation to stop Hillary Clinton now and never let her within 10 miles of the White House again," Christie said of the former secretary of state. "It is time to come together and make sure that Donald Trump is our next President. I am proud to be part of this team. Now let's go win this thing."

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Delegates fill the floor of the arena on Tuesday.

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Four of Donald Trump's children -- from left, Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump -- celebrate on the floor of the convention, where Donald Trump Jr. announced the New York delegates that clinched the nomination for his father.

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A delegate shows support for Donald Trump's wife, Melania, on Tuesday.

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A delegate whistles as roll call votes are cast on Tuesday.

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Delegates take a photo with Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, center, on Tuesday.

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A Florida delegate holds a "Hillary for prison" sign on the floor of the arena.

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A convention attendee wears American-themed shoes on Tuesday.

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House Speaker Paul Ryan bangs the gavel to open the second day of the convention on Tuesday.

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Melania Trump kisses her husband, Donald, after she spoke Monday on the first day of the convention. "If you want someone to fight for you and your country, I can assure you, he's the guy," she said of her husband. "He will never, ever give up. And most importantly, he will never, ever let you down."

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Donald Trump walks to his wife after she delivered her speech.

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Melania Trump claps during her speech.

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Donald Trump comes out to the song "We Are the Champions" before introducing his wife.

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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani delivered a fiery speech before Melania Trump. Among his topics was the fight against terrorists. "We know who you are, and we're coming to get you!" he said.

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A protester flashes a peace sign on the floor of the convention on Monday.

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Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. salutes the crowd before speaking Monday. He got huge applause when he started off his speech by saying, "Blue lives matter!"

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Patricia Smith, mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith, told the crowd in Cleveland, "I blame Hillary Clinton personally." Clinton, the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, was secretary of state when the attack occurred in Libya in 2012.

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President Barack Obama is seen on a screen as Smith leaves the stage Monday.

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Marcus Luttrell, a former Navy SEAL who was awarded the Navy Cross for his service in Afghanistan, spoke about the need for an elite military. The convention's theme for Monday was "Make America Safe Again."

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Actor Scott Baio gives two thumbs up during his speech on Monday. "Let's not just make America great again," he said, referring to Trump's campaign slogan. "Let's make America America again!"

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Willie Robertson, star of the hit TV show "Duck Dynasty," promised the crowd that Trump "will have your back."

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Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, the GOP's presidential nominee in 1996, waves after listening to a speech on Monday.

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Marlana VanHoose performs the national anthem prior to Monday's evening session.

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Former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, center, was among the delegates shouting for a roll call vote Monday on the rules of the Republican National Convention. GOP officials dismissed the move, saying there were not enough signatures to force a roll call vote. While it's unlikely a roll call vote would have rejected the rules package, it could have been an embarrassing protest vote against Trump and the Republican National Committee.

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Virginia delegate Waverly Woods protests on the floor of the convention.

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Delegates from Texas protest.

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Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, bangs a gavel as resolutions are adopted at the start of the convention.

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Delegates stand and turn toward the camera for an official photo on Monday.

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People walk in front of a screen displaying the American flag.

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‘Harmful to the United States’

video

Donald Trump's big night in 90 seconds

I asked Mike Rogers, Former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, what a new NATO doctrine would mean.

“It certainly would be a violation of the charter if you said you haven’t paid, we’re not showing up.”

Protectionism, he said, would be “harmful to the United States, harmful to our allies.”

READ: Donald Trump’s full speech

Afterwards, he said he just hoped Trump didn’t mean what he was saying, and would instead find wise counsel to whisper in his ear.

Trump doubled down in his convention speech, filled with retrenchment protectionism and isolationism. He said the U.S. would “walk away” from the North American Free Trade Agreement if negotiations failed to produce “a much better deal for America.”

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox was scathing when I asked him on Thursday what pulling out of NAFTA would mean.

“The loser is going to be the United States,” he told me.

READ: True or False? CNN rates every Trump claims

“Mexico imports from the United States over $750 billion every year. We import, we buy from the United States.”

“That means over 10 million jobs for U.S. citizens. So you don’t lose jobs by trading. You gain wealth and opportunities to your people.”

Trump’s threats to slap tariffs on China has sparked concern in Beijing’s halls of power, and prompted economists to warn of recession and job losses in the region and the United States.

Trump and the Middle East

video

CNN panel gets heated after Trump's convention speech

Trump began the foreign policy part of his acceptance speech with Iran – invoking the specter of a humiliated Washington signing the Iran nuclear deal, “one of the worst deals ever negotiated.”

It’s an image that most analysts find hard to reconcile, since for the past year during which time the deal’s been in force, Iran has been deemed in full compliance, its nuclear program severely limited, and global security enhanced. War avoided.

On diagnosing the Syrian war, Trump will find agreement among allies in the region on this point: “Another humiliation came when president Obama drew a red line in Syria – and the whole world knew it meant absolutely nothing.” (That, of course, was President Obama’s pledge to intervene should Assad use chemical weapons; a pledge he did not follow through on when those weapons were used.)

But Trump says he wouldn’t go after al-Assad before destroying ISIS, only to insist, in an interview with CBS 60 Minutes, that he would want “very few troops on the ground” to defeat ISIS.

READ: Donald Trump’s soft spot for dictators

He offered solutions such as “we’re going to have unbelievable intelligence,” and nothing much different to the current Obama administration strategy there.

On refugees too, Trump proposed a world of retrenchment. The war in Syria has produced the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Trump: ‘No right to lecture’

He told the convention that immigration from any country that has been “compromised by terrorism” would be immediately suspended. He says there’s “no way” to screen refugees.

In fact, U.S. officials tell me, Syrian refugees face the most stringent background checks of almost anyone trying to enter the U.S.

READ: World reacts to Donald Trump’s acceptance speech

This foreign policy segment was full of what a Trump presidency would not do, and where it would not go.

Unlike past Republican presidents – Reagan or both Bushes – there was no appeal to moral leadership or spreading freedom and democracy around the world.

To the contrary, Trump insists that the United States has no “right to lecture” autocrats like Russian President Vladimir Putin or Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“I think right now when it comes to civil liberties, our country has a lot of problems, and I think it’s very hard for us to get involved in other countries,” he told The New York Times.

“I don’t know that we have a right to lecture.”