In an interview with a news channel owned by the Saudi Arabian government, former President Donald Trump made the ambitious claim that he would bring an era of peace in the Middle East if he were reelected.
The presidential candidate’s exclusive interview with Al Arabiya English’s Washington bureau chief, Nadia Bilbassy-Charters, aired Sunday. The interview appeared to mostly focus on Trump’s plan for U.S. foreign policy ― particularly in the Middle East ― at a time when both he and Vice President Kamala Harris are vying for the support of Arab American voters just weeks before the election.
The Republican repeated lines from his previous interviews and on the campaign trail, about how he believes Hamas’ deadly attack last year on Israel would not have occurred if he were president. Trump enjoys a strong friendship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the former president’s laundry list of antisemitic comments.
“You wouldn’t have all those dead people ― all those, you know, just demolished cities,” the former president said, later dodging Bilbassy-Charters’ question on if he believes Israel’s destruction of Gaza ― and now Lebanon, as well as the massive civilian death toll ― is a “tolerable price” for the attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
Trump has previously said that Israel should “finish the problem” in Gaza. During his presidency, he also upended decades-long U.S. policy by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights ― which under international law is considered occupied territory since 1967, when Israel seized the land from Syria.
The Saudi government was on track to normalize relations with Israel via the so-called Abraham Accords, an ambitious initiative that began under the Trump administration and does not include steps toward Palestinian statehood. President Joe Biden was continuing to help secure what would have been a significant diplomatic achievement until the Saudis paused talks in response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza, demanding that any normalization agreement include expanded Palestinian rights.
Trump claimed to Bilbassy-Charters that he would prioritize expanding the Abraham Accords if he were reelected. The former president also heaped praise on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, calling him a “visionary” at a time when Trump’s family is securing growing business ties with Saudi Arabia.
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Son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm Affinity Partners has received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. The firm has received at least $112 million in fees but generates no profit, according to The New York Times. The Trump Organization is also trying to establish real estate in Saudi Arabia and some neighboring countries.
Trump’s interview with Al Arabiya English is in steep contrast with his current relationship with U.S. media. The campaign has repeatedly backed out of appearances with major outlets like “60 Minutes,” a highly unusual decision with the presidential election just around the corner. A Trump advisor said the cancellations are due to the 78-year-old being “exhausted,” according to Politico.