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Donald Trump on Friday warned there will be a major war in the Middle East — and potentially a “third world war” — if he fails to win the presidential election in November.
The former president made the remarks in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, held at Trump’s Florida residence of Mar-a-Lago. The Israeli leader had met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House a day earlier.
“If we win, it’ll be very simple. It’s all going to work out and very quickly,” Trump told reporters at the start of the meeting. “If we don’t, you’re going to end up with major wars in the Middle East and maybe a third world war.”
SIGNALS
Pair use meeting to mend strained relationship
The pair sought to mend their relationship, which fractured after the Israeli prime minister rejected Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 election. Netanyahu became one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Biden on his win, leading Trump to lash out: “Bibi could have stayed quiet… He has made a terrible mistake.”
Both leaders “have strong political interests in getting past their differences,” the Associated Press reported, noting that Republicans want to show their loyalty to the US ally and Israel needs the US’s continued support. At the meeting, Trump dismissed suggestions of tension. “We have a very good relationship,” he said, adding that “I was very good to Israel, better than any president’s ever been.”
It’s not clear what Trump’s plan to end the war is
Trump has long railed against Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza, which the former president says needs to end expeditiously, without providing a clear view of how his administration would achieve that goal. He’s said “noticeably little” about the war since it began, The New York Times reported, adding that his “hands-off approach to the bloody Middle East conflict reflects the profound anti-interventionist shift he has brought about in the Republican Party.” Saying more about the war probably isn’t in Trump’s best interest politically, Vox noted, as voters have complex views on the fighting but don’t rank it as a top issue.
Harris goes further than other US officials on public criticism of Israel
After meeting with Netanyahu on Thursday, Harris indicated that she wouldn’t halt military aid to Israel because she would “always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself.” But she went further than other administration officials in criticizing Israel’s conduct, telling Netanyahu of her “serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians.” The comparatively forceful statement bolstered some Democrats’ hopes that their presumptive presidential nominee will be tougher on Israel than her predecessor — at least rhetorically. But aides and allies of Harris have insisted that there’s no daylight between her and Biden when it comes to the substance of their foreign policy toward the nation.