How Trump Betrayed His First Duty to Americans

By Jeffrey Feltman and Mara Karlin

Jeffrey Feltman was U.S. ambassador to Lebanon from 2004 to 2008. Mara Karlin served as the Levant director in the Pentagon in 2006 and 2007.

“The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens,” President Trump said in his State of the Union address last month, daring Democrats to remain seated (which they did) when he asked them to stand to show concurrence. It was, arguably, effective political theater. But when it comes to life-or-death reality — the actual safety of American citizens — Mr. Trump’s........

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