John Kerry personally undermines Trump's 'America First' policy in Middle East speech

Former Secretary of State John Kerry appears to be hard at work undermining the agenda of President Donald Trump.

First, it was revealed he had been meeting with foreign diplomats to save former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. He met with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and even diplomats from the European Union.

Now, Kerry has taken his anti-Trump agenda to the stage. Over the weekend, he spoke at a commencement ceremony where he encouraged Americans to reject Trump’s “America First” policy.

What happened?

Trump, since his campaign, has touted his belief that American interests should be at the forefront of U.S. politicians' interests. He promised to put America first on immigration and trade, and has mostly followed through with those promises through controversial policies.

But according to Kerry, who spoke at the University of New York's Abu Dhabi's graduation over the weekend, the international community is too connected for the U.S. to isolate itself and be selfish.

"We won’t win, any of us, ultimately, by retreating within our borders, by focusing on our own nations only, or by going it alone," Kerry said, according to The Hill.

Kerry added the U.S. "needs to build partnerships and cannot turn its back on the world," according to The Associated Press.

The former secretary of state also claimed "true civil discourse" is under threat worldwide, but especially in the U.S., where Kerry claimed politics have become "almost all accusatory and all bombastic."

According to the AP, Kerry never mentioned Trump's name during his speech, although many of his remarks were clearly accepted as subtle jabs at his administration.

Anything else?

Ironically, the Associated Press reported that journalists were barred from taping Kerry's complete remarks, despite them being personally invited to the event. Kerry's staff said they had no part in the decision.

The decision to bar the media came from NYU Abi Dhabi officials at the last minute, the AP reported.