WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he would make a massive budgetrequest for one of the "greatest military buildups in Americanhistory" on Friday in a feisty, campaign-style speech extollingrobust nationalism to eager conservative activists.
Trump used remarks to the Conservative Political ActionConference (CPAC), an organization that gave him one of hisfirst platforms in his improbable journey to the U.
S.presidency, to defend his unabashed "America first" policies.
Ahead of a nationally televised speech to Congress onTuesday, Trump outlined plans for strengthening the U.S.military, already the world´s most powerful fighting force, andother initiatives such as tax reform and regulatory rollback.
He offered few specifics on any initiatives, including thebudget request that is likely to face a harsh reality on CapitolHill: At a time when he wants to slash taxes for Americans,funding a major military buildup without spending cuts elsewherewould add substantially to the U.S.budget deficit.
Trump said he would aim to upgrade the military in bothoffensive and defensive capabilities, with a massive spendingrequest to Congress that would make the country´s defense"bigger and better and stronger than ever before.
""And, hopefully, we’ll never have to use it, but nobody isgoing to mess with us.Nobody.It will be one of the greatestmilitary buildups in American history," Trump said.
Appealing to people on welfare to go to work and pledging tofollow through on his vow to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexicanborder, Trump drew rounds of applause from the large gatheringof conservatives, many of them wearing hats emblazoned with thepresident´s campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again.
"His speech was heavy on the nationalist overtones from hiscampaign last year, focusing on promises to boost U.S.economicgrowth by retooling international trade deals, cracking down onimmigration and boosting energy production.
ROCKY FIRST MONTH
Trump is looking to put behind him a rocky first month inoffice.An executive order he signed aimed at banning U.S.entryby people from seven Muslim-majority countries became embroiledin the courts and he had to fire his national security adviser, Michael Flynn, for Russian contacts before Trump took office.
With the federal budget still running a large deficit, Trumpwill have to fight to get higher military spending throughCongress.In his speech, he complained about spending caps putin place on the defense budget dating back to 2011.White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump´s proposedbudget for this year "will be very clear" on how to fund themilitary spending increase.
Trump also heaped criticism on what he called purveyors of"fake news," seeking to clarify a recent tweet in which he saidsome in the U.S.news media should be considered an "enemy ofthe people.
"He said his main beef was the media´s use of anonymoussources."They shouldn´t be allowed to use sources unless theyuse somebody´s name.Let their name be out there," Trump said.
His comments came on the same day CNN reported that WhiteHouse Chief of Staff Reince Priebus asked FBI Deputy DirectorAndrew McCabe to deny a Feb.14 report in the New York Timesthat said Trump´s presidential campaign advisers had been infrequent contact with Russian intelligence officers.
The requestcame after McCabe told him privately the report was wrong.A senior administration official said on Friday that FBIDirector James Comey told Priebus later that the story was notaccurate.
Priebus asked if the Federal Bureau of Investigationcould set the record straight, but Comey said the bureau couldnot comment, the official said.Trump has repeatedly chosen to make news media criticism afocus of his public remarks since taking office on Jan.20.
The speech allowed Trump to put his stamp firmly on theconservative political movement, even as some activists frettedthat his immigration and trade policies go too far.With Trump in the White House and Republicans holdingmajorities in both houses of Congress, CPAC and the thousands ofconservative activists who flock to the event each year fromacross the country are seeing their political influence rising.