James D. Melville Jr. resigned from serving as the U.S. ambassador to Estonia because he believes President Donald Trump's “America First” motto is a sham.
After serving for over three decades Melville wrote in The Washington Post that he could no longer support Trump's position towards "NATO, our European allies and Russia."
"I am extremely uncomfortable with the trade policies the United States is pursuing. I also believe it is a historic mistake to cozy up to Russian President Vladimir Putin," he wrote.
Melville continued, "Trump’s habit of denigrating our allies and their leaders while lauding Putin and other authoritarians is no way to lead. It placed me in an untenable position in Tallinn whenever I was asked, as chief of mission, to explain our intentions."
He said that now as a citizen he hopes to use his passion for government in a different way.
"Now I am free to speak for myself as a citizen. I want to use my voice to advocate for policies more in accord with our history, our values, and the global good," he said.
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