On Thursday, May 15, Democratic Congressman Jim Himes from Connecticut unexpectedly expressed his support for President Donald Trump’s foreign policy.
Himes, a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee, made his comments during an interview at a security summit with Politico magazine, saying, “I usually don’t praise Donald Trump, but I have to say, in the past week or so, there have been significant changes in the situations in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Russia.”
He mentioned that just last week he was worried that Israel might “be on the verge of war with Iran,” implying that Trump helped avert such dire consequences.
Furthermore, Himes commended President Trump’s decision to meet with the new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his Middle East trip, stating, “I must say, I think the President has handled the Middle East issues quite well in the past week or so.”
However, he made it clear that he does not overall support Trump’s foreign policy strategy.
Himes also praised Trump’s policy towards Ukraine, noting that Trump no longer seems as friendly towards Russia in negotiations to end the war, hinting that until recently, Russians believed Trump was relatively friendly towards them. Himes remarked, “I think the Kremlin is thinking, ‘Wow, this President! The United States is not the unconditional ally we thought it was.'”
He also expressed astonishment at Trump’s attitude towards Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office in February this year. At that time, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance harshly criticized Zelensky for not showing enough appreciation for the military aid provided by the US in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Currently, President Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE in the Middle East. On Thursday, he stated that the US is “very close” to reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran, claiming that Tehran has “to some extent” accepted the terms of the agreement. Senior Iranian officials have also expressed willingness to make significant concessions on the nuclear program in exchange for the US lifting sanctions.
On Wednesday, during a state banquet in Qatar, Trump urged Qatar to use its influence on Iran to help facilitate the agreement, saying, “I hope you can help me with the situation in Iran. It’s a dangerous situation, and we want to make the right decisions.”
(Reference: Article from POLITICO)