Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather has a track record of blasting President Trump, but after Trump's speech Thursday in Warsaw, Rather had nothing but praise — though admittedly "faint praise." Shortly after Trump wrapped up his "pro-NATO speech," Rather deemed it the "best of his presidency":
The kudos are particularly notable coming from a man who has slammed Trump's "willful disregard for the rule of the law" and declared that "history will punish Donald Trump" for his decision to exit the Paris climate accord.
Trump in his speech Thursday praised Poland's financial commitment to NATO's defense spending, lauding "the example Poland has set" and hailing the work the country has done to confront Russia's "destabilizing behavior." He reaffirmed America's commitment to NATO's Article 5, the pledge of collective defense that he was initially slow to endorse.
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Trump also used the speech to issue an explicit warning to Russia ahead of his Friday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. "We urge Russia to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran," Trump said.