Bob Corker gives Donald Trump 'honest assessments' on foreign policy

CLEVELAND — Donald Trump’s has more nuanced foreign policy positions than what some may believe, U.S. Sen. Bob Corker said Wednesday.

Although the Republican presidential nominee has made statements that are “a little out there,” there’s more to Trump and his positions, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman said in an interview.

Rather, Corker said that Trump is a businessman who wants to surround himself with advisers who have had experiences like former secretaries of state James Baker and Henry Kissinger.

While he has been giving the real estate mogul insights about foreign policy, Corker, who spoke with The Tennessean before addressing the state's delegation to the Republican National Convention, said such conversations have been misconstrued.

“It’s not like we have daily conversations about foreign policy or anything like that,” he said.

More on the GOP convention

• Tennessee could be Trump's blueprint for economic success
• Haslam: Pence a solid conservative
• Haslam criticized for not backing Trump strong enough
• Nashville's Ayla Brown to perform national anthem for Trump
• Tennessee leaders want security specifics from Trump campaign
• 'Never Trump' delegate blasts convention rules: 'We were denied'
• Anti-Islam Dutch politician a Tennessee guest at GOP convention
• Young delegates say Trump must do more for their generation

Instead, the Chattanooga Republican said the discussions have been more conversational than just telling Trump what to do.

“I did end up spending an inordinate amount of time with him in a setting where we were very private, meaning there was almost no one around and we were on the plane. It was really more of a free-flowing conversation about a lot of things,” Corker said.

Paul Chapman, a Cruz delegate, said many in Tennessee’s delegation feel as if foreign policy is not important to Obama, adding that Corker's involvement is a good sign.

"Whether you like Trump or not, he seems to be serious about it,” Chapman said, adding that he’s not certain what the Republican nominee's plans on foreign policy are but that doesn’t worry him because of who is offering advice on the subject.

“He’s got guys like Jeff Sessions who are advising him. Bob Corker, who a lot of people have respect for, not only in Tennessee,” he said, adding that Corker’s inclusion provided him a sense of relief.

“I think Trump’s a smart enough businessman and a smart enough guy that he’ll have to rely on some of that advice,” Chapman said.

Emily Batey, a Rubio delegate, said she is proud of the fact that Corker is involved in conversations with Trump.

"Given the significant setbacks that we’ve seen the United States incur year after year after year of President Obama's tenure, it is most certainly time for a change in foreign policy. It is critical that we have a change in foreign policy," said Rubio alternate David Hairston. “We have to re-establish American credentials globally."

Corker's plane ride with came as he presidential candidate for a campaign rally in North Carolina earlier this month, one day before he formally removed himself from consideration as Trump’s running mate.

Corker said he could see himself in the role of secretary of state or secretary of treasury.

Bob Corker at Trump rally: ‘He wants the best for you’

“At the end of the day, there’s one person that has a vote on that,” he said. “That’s not the kind of thing you lobby for certainly. That’s somebody else’s decision.”

Although that decision could come in the coming weeks or months, Corker said he would continue the same approach he’s taken with Trump, who has frustrated many in his own party for his fiery rhetoric and attacks on fellow Republicans.

Corker said he's been giving Trump "honest assessments” and believes those have had some level of impact on Trump.

Sen. Bob Corker withdraws as Donald Trump VP candidate

Corker said he’d like to see a Trump administration embrace what he called realism in its foreign policy.

“We’ve had the neocon version of foreign policy which is very, very robust,” Corker said. “I think people understand that that’s not the way the world is."

A foreign policy based on realism would require having relationships with world leaders who are “not the best,” he said.

Sen. Bob Corker hopes for different foreign policy approach

“We help shape the world," Corker said. "Our values still are displayed in everything that we do but we deal with the world the way that it is.”

Trump’s campaign has not indicated what type of foreign policy he would pursue if elected to the White House. But the billionaire has repeatedly said he opposed the Iraq War but there has been little evidence that is the case.

Trump has been highly critical of the foreign policy of President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who served as Obama's first secretary of state, calling it a “complete and total disaster” during an April speech.

Last week, the Republican platform committee approved a foreign policy agenda that criticizes military intervention, nation building and the Iranian nuclear deal, which Trump has blasted.

Trump has also vowed to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, which is one of seven positions he has outlined on his website, which does not mention foreign policy.

Corker said he is taking the same approach with Trump as he has with President Barack Obama.

“Tennesseans may not see this — some may not want to hear this — but I think because of that, we’ve had a very respectful relationship, and again I think we’ve been able to impact things in a way that we otherwise would not ...  because we’ve had that kind of honest relationship," Corker said. “I hope what Tennesseans are saying is we’ve been ourselves."

Reach Joel Ebert at 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.