On Nov. 8, 2016, Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, against all the odds and contrary to any kind of statistical "logic." Since then he has been smashing every "logical" assertion made by so – called experts.
After he won the election, the experts explained to us that Trump wouldn't actually be able to accomplish anything (in other words, he won't follow through on his campaign promises), because he is unfit for the presidency and will do nothing more than kill time until the next election. They also predicted that the end of the world was coming. But today, a little over a year after since Trump took office, what are we seeing? That President Trump is in fact keeping his campaign promises.
In February of 2016, after one of Trump's presidential race victories, he told me that if he won the presidency he would officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the U.S. Embassy there. He also said that he would withdraw from the bad Iranian nuclear agreement – a vestige of the Obama administration. And there was one more thing that he promised me: that he would win the election.
In the March – April issue of Foreign Affairs, respected American political scientist Eliot A. Cohen characterized the president's first year in office as "Trump's lucky year." In his column, Cohen conceded that even though Trump has been in the White House for over a year, " the world did not blow up and World War III did not break out." He said almost everything apart from giving credit where credit is due – to the 45th president who, precisely because he is erratic and unexpected, succeeded in unnerving all of the U.S.'s enemies and prompting them to count to 10 before making any rash decisions.
Hundreds of thousands of Trump's critics still find it difficult to come to terms with the will of the American voters, and they continue to take to the streets to demonstrate against … well, democracy. Meanwhile, the same critics believe that Trump didn't really win the election because it was Russian hackers, not Hillary Clinton's lack of charisma, who swung the vote in his favor.
You can't blame them. After all, throughout the campaign, the senior-most commentators and most seasoned experts refused to see Trump as a viable candidate to whom the existing models simply don't apply. American experts like Nate Silver weren't able to comprehend what North Korean leader Kim Jong Un clearly understands, and what Iran is now beginning to see.
Europe sticks to its guns
Trump is given almost no credit for the fact that he managed to make Kim, the North Korean leader, understand that he sounds like a broken record and that dialogue is better than death. The American Left is doing everything it can to avoid commending Trump for his willingness to launch attacks against Syrian President Bashar Assad and to support Israel in its efforts to prevent an Iranian presence in Syria, while applying increasing pressure on Russia. They give him zero credit for the fact that China is now willing to compromise on import tariffs rather than walking away, as everyone predicted they would.
President Trump succeeded in upgrading American diplomacy precisely because he is seen as a leader with a short fuse who is always ready to fight. And above all, unlike his predecessor who was perceived as condescending, calculated and snobby, Trump is seen as simple and authentic and entirely unassuming. So when he comes out against America's enemies he doesn't appear to be looking down on them, generating an entirely different type of dynamic. This dynamic appears to be more effective than any inspirational speech former President Barack Obama ever gave during his eight years in office.
This week, Trump marked another success. Four months ago, he declared that he did not intend to recertify the waiver keeping the U.S. from reimposing sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear accord between Tehran and six world powers. This week, he kept his promise and, on the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, he decided to land another important victory against a dark regime – he withdrew the U.S. from the agreement and pledged to reinstate the sanctions that were in place before the deal was reached.
Of course all the "experts" immediately went into counterattack mode, starting with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain and ending with former U.S. Secretary of State and nuclear agreement champion John Kerry (remember him?), who was recently spotted chatting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. This week, Europe evoked the famous verse from Ecclesiastes: "Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before."
Going against the grain
But Trump isn't afraid to go against the grain. He has never been afraid. He knows that at the end of the day, it is his most powerful weapon. He likes French President Emmanuel Macron. He even brushes dandruff off Macron's suit when necessary. But capitulate to French dictates? No. America is back in the driver's seat. And the public likes a leader who fights, especially during a congressional election year.
On Tuesday, Trump announced that the preagreement sanctions on Iran will all be restored, also applying to countries that do business with Iran, but not all at once. If the president gets his way – if a mechanism is devised to address the "terrible flaws" inherent in the current format of the agreement – the U.S. may show some flexibility.
In my conversations with Trump at the White House it was apparent how firmly he believes in the Iranian people and how much faith he has in them to effect real change in Iran. That is why he is such a big believer in sanctions. However, if Iran is willing to come to its senses and agree to an amended accord, Trump would be amenable to easing the sanctions and allowing Iran to continue to trade with Europe. Any sensible person in Tehran should know how to work out this simple equation.
Trump's amendments to the nuclear agreement are a wonderful gift for the Jewish people and for the entire world. Now, it is time to amend the world's attitude toward Trump, especially among the commentators and experts, in Israel too.
Several months ago, President Trump and I met in the Oval office for an interview. He told me then that his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was the highlight of his first year in office. It is safe to assume that when I interview him next, after the American embassy is fully operational in Jerusalem, he will look back on his second year in office and single out his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement as another highlight.
