First elected as US President in 2016 on the coattails of Brexit, his first term in office (2017-2021) was eventful and turbulent. He worked hard and fought hard, and, unlike many career establishment elite politicians, the New York ‘blue collar’ billionaire, Donald Trump, related to everyday Americans, the working class, minorities, and Generation Z young people. That’s how he won two presidential elections, despite being a political outsider.
Having left the White House after the disputed 2020 presidential election (one that he never conceded), Trump was considered politically dead. The obstacles to a political comeback were enormous: a second impeachment over the January 6th riot at the Capitol Building, the numerous indictments, the criminal conviction in a New York trial, an FBI raid at his home at Mar-a-Lago, and two known assassination attempts, plus an Iranian fatwa calling for his murder.
Trump, age 79, could be forgiven for walking away from it all and spending his last years in peace and luxury. But he would say that it is for the love of his country and the unfinished business in his first term that caused him to run for office again, fight a good fight, and win.
The four-year interregnum in the political wilderness from 2021-2025 was spent planning for a second-term win in 2024, as well as fighting the battles of lawfare, a hostile media, and an uncertain electorate. Though the leader of the Republican Party, Trump, built alliances with key Democrats, like Robert Kennedy, Tulsi Gabbard, the unions, and minorities like Hispanics and blacks. He harnessed the power of alternative media like podcasts and ran an effective campaign. On Election Day, November 5, 2024, Trump won all seven battleground states, the popular vote nationwide, and the all-important electoral college. Without exaggeration, it was nothing short of a political resurrection.
After his historic return to the White House, he has been a beehive of actiTulsi Gabbard,vity. His first hundred days in office were stronger than strongerElijah’s whirlwind to heaven.
Trump and the Middle East: The Dealmaker
Donald Trump has extensive involvement in the Middle East, and his three-country visit to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in May 2025 was the culmination of much diplomacy and bridge-building. The Arabs welcomed him like a rock star. As the best-selling author of The Art of the Deal, Trump was in full negotiation mode with friend and foe alike. By the end of this short trip, the President received for the United States three trillion dollars' worth of trade pledges from these three host Arab countries.
Trump also returned home bearing gifts, especially a luxury 747 jumbo jet from Qatar, which will serve as Air Force One, the official US presidential plane. There is the prospect of a luxury (Trump) golf course near Doha, and Trump Towers in Dubai and Damascus.
Classic Arabs, particularly rich ones, are known for their lavish hospitality and ultra-expensive gifts. This raises some questions: was Trump being played and compromised? Was he being seduced by all the fanfare and the munificence of his hosts? Has his once rock-solid support of Israel waned? The jury is out, and time will tell, especially during times of trouble. But there is no question that his deal-making was highly successful.
Peacemaker? Here’s the scorecard
The Houthi Rebels: The Houthis of Yemen are a Shiite proxy organisation supported by Iran and a designated terrorist group. They have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and sending missiles into Israel, as a formal military response in their solidarity with Hamas and its war with Israel.
Trump, after the US mercilessly bombed Yemen, allegedly got a separate agreement with the Houthis. Trump claimed that the Houthis capitulated and promised to stop the attack on US shipping. The President added ‘We will take their word.’ Why didn’t he link his agreement with a Houthi commitment to stop attacking Israel? They even sent a missile into the Jewish state over Trump’s head while he was in Saudi Arabia. And the Houthis’ anti-Israel, anti-American propaganda continues unabated.
Syria: After fourteen years, the Syrian civil and regional war appears to be finished, at least for now. Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS) took over Aleppo and Damascus (though not the entire country). President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia in December 2024; the fifty-year secular Ba’athist al-Assad regime collapsed.
HTS had ties with known terrorist groups, including al-Nusra and ISIS. The current interim president is Ahmed al-Sharaa. Less than a year ago, the American government had a $10 million reward for his capture. Al-Sharaa has trimmed his beard, wears western suits, and claims to have forsaken all terrorist ties.
MBS (Mohammed bin Salman), the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, brought al-Sharaa to meet Trump. MBS’s motive was to take Syria out of regional rival Iran’s sphere of influence. How did President Trump respond? He lifted the long-term sanctions on Syria so they would have a chance to get ahead economically. Goodwill and confidence-building are great when wisely used, but did al-Sharaa see the light and reject terrorism? Is he now a non-violent moderate? Or is he still, in his heart of hearts, a caliphate-building, infidel killing, ideologically and theologically driven jihadist? And will we finally get peace in the Middle East?
TO BE CONTINUED
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