Trump’s mixed messages cannot obscure his record on confronting Iran

US President Donald Trump's approach to foreign policy, particularly concerning Iran, is a source of significant frustration for Israel, according to this opinion piece. The author, David M. Weinberg, lambasts Trump's "mixed messages" and "transactional thinking," which he argues are dangerously delusional in certain contexts.

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It is maddening to be handcuffed by the US president when fighting Hezbollah, especially when Israeli soldiers and civilians are falling like flies to the terrorist army’s drones and rockets.

Weinberg details the exasperation of being "handcuffed" by the US president while Israeli soldiers and civilians fall victim to Hezbollah's attacks. He contrasts Trump's tough talk about confronting Iran's ayatollahs with his subsequent comments about "very nice and responsible" Iranian leaders and the potential for billions in sanctions relief. This inconsistency, the author contends, undermines efforts to curb Iran's hegemonic ambitions.

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It is exasperating to hear US President Donald Trump talk one day about bombing Iran’s nuclear and energy sites to kingdom come and crushing the regime of the “evil” ayatollahs, and the next to hear him talk about “very nice and responsible” leaders in Iran that he would like to meet and to learn that Trump may shower these leaders with tens of billions of dollars in freed cash and sanctions relief.

The piece also highlights Trump's volatile relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting Trump's praise followed by public insults and claims that Netanyahu would be in prison without him. Weinberg dismisses these assertions as "unacceptable" and argues that pushing back against such damaging aspersions is not only right but righteous.

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Trump gallingly asserts that “if there wasn’t me, there would be no Israel” and that Netanyahu “would be in prison if it weren’t for me.”

Despite the criticism of Trump's style and rhetoric, Weinberg acknowledges the "rock-solid policymaking record" and "commitments on the issues most important to Israel." He specifically commends the US president's "resistance to Iran" and his perceived intention to see the conflict through to completion, suggesting that Trump understands the necessity of finishing the job.

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After having said all that, we have to get past Trump’s annoying approach to people and politics and consider his rock-solid policymaking record and commitments on the issues most important to Israel.