Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed growing concerns about American isolationism during a joint press conference with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Sydney on June 5. Tillerson stressed that the United States and Australia will remain closely aligned on many issues, despite President Trump withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and then the Paris climate agreement. Tillerson, addressing Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement, put distance between himself and the president on the issue. The president was frustrated about a deal that former president Barack Obama made with Australia to take about 1,200 refugees after security vetting. Mattis cited American lessons learned following isolationism before World War II and cited a quote often attributed to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Source: Washington Post June 05, 2017 07:34 UTC