President Donald Trump’s international trip to the Middle East this week has been a busy whirlwind so far, and on Tuesday, his remarks, delivered at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh, revealed his leadership style as a calm, peace-oriented executive who is also unafraid to wield American might when necessary.
“I believe it’s God’s job to sit in judgment [and] my job to defend America, and to promote the fundamental interests of stability, prosperity, and peace,” he said.
The president’s remarks were contextualized by his comments relating to maintaining peace and prosperity in the Middle East and beyond, with a special emphasis on warning Iran to choose a non-combative path as they continue to seek nuclearization.
“I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States or to help defend our allies, and there will be no mercy for any foe that tries to do us or them harm,” Trump stated.
On that note, the president used the public podium in Saudi Arabia to offer an olive branch to Iran, describing it as a “new path and a much better path toward a far better and more hopeful future.”
“I want to make a deal with Iran,” he added.
However, he explained that if Iran’s leadership rejected the olive branch, and if they continued to fund and facilitate attacks against their neighbors, “then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero like I did before…and take all action required to stop the regime from ever having a nuclear weapon.”
“This is an offer that will not last forever; the time is right now for them to choose,” he said.
President Trump explained that it was his “greatest hope” to be a peacemaker and a unifier and pointed out how successfully his administration had recently brokered a complete ceasefire between Pakistan and India.
He also reminded the audience in Riyadh how diligently his administration has been working to end the “terrible bloodshed between Russia and Ukraine,” as well as resolve the conflict in the Middle East concerning Israel and Hamas.
“As President of the United States, my preference will always be for peace and partnership, whenever these outcomes can be achieved,” Trump said. “…It’s always going to be that way. Only a fool would think otherwise.”
Trump roundly criticized past presidents for their belief that America was essentially the moral policeman of the world. “Far too many presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it’s our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use U.S. policy to dispense justice for their sins,” he said.
