Joe Biden 'can't escape the legacy' of Donald Trump in the Middle East: Politico
Politico reported that Biden has followed in Trump's footsteps with regard to the Abraham Accords, a deal brokered by the 45th president
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Joe Biden "can't escape the legacy" of former President Trump's accomplishments in the Middle East, according to a Wednesday report by Politico about Biden's trip to the region.
"For most of his presidency, Joe Biden has ignored or minimized talk about his immediate predecessor, or, as he once called him, ‘the former guy,’" Politico reported. "But as he visits Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia this week, Biden can’t escape the legacy that Donald Trump left behind."
The report compared Biden unfavorably to Trump, noting that Trump visited the Middle East on his first foreign trip while Biden waited a year and a half.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Despite their smiles and handshakes, it’s not lost on Israeli and other Middle Eastern officials that Trump made the region the scene of his first foreign trip, while Biden waited a year and half into his presidency to stop by," Politico reported.
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President Joe Biden is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, right and President Isaac Herzog, left, as they participate in an arrival ceremony after Biden arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, Wednesday, July 13, 2022, in Tel Aviv. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
"Trump made Jerusalem now the U.S.-recognized capital of Israel. He made it so there’s no longer a U.S. consulate that engages with the Palestinians. His policies assured that the dream of a Palestinian state is nearly dead and that Israel has more Arab friends than ever," the report continued.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this way, Biden is unable to undo much of Trump's legacy in the Middle East. "Biden has grudgingly accepted this new reality and will do little to change it during roughly 48 hours on the ground in Israel," they wrote.
"Comparisons to Trump’s time in the holy land will be unavoidable since the 45th president threw aside convention to be the first to visit the Western Wall and put his name directly on an American embassy in Jerusalem, whose courtyard is dedicated to his son–in-law, Jared Kushner," said Politico.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this March 25, 2019 file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump hold up the signed proclamation recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
While Biden will likely not address Trump by name, Politico noted that he has supported the Abraham Accords, a signature accomplishment of the Trump administration.
"Biden may have no incentive to discuss his predecessor. But his team has not shied away from touting a rare area of agreement it has with ‘the former guy,’" they wrote. "The Biden administration has embraced the Abraham Accords, a Trump-backed effort to improve Israel’s relations with other Arab countries and better integrate it economically, diplomatically and otherwise into the Middle East."
With regard to the Abraham accords, Politico reported that the Biden White House "wants to build on what Trump started" and even noted that "Biden aides privately concede that Trump’s deals have helped lower the temperature in the Middle East."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this March 5, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
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Biden arrived in Israel Wednesday for a two-day trip. Biden told reporters upon landing in the country that "the connection between the Israeli people and the American people is bone-deep." He will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday.