By Christopher Arps
(OPINION) – Until recently, President Trump was facing two momentous challenges. One was international in scope, while the other was domestic. The international challenge, of course, was ending the two-year war in Gaza that began after Hamas militants murdered 1,200 innocent Israelis and took 250 hostage on October 7th, 2023. The other is a Democrat-initiated government shutdown. (I’ll discuss that in a later article)
On Monday, the Hamas barbarians released twenty living hostages and seven deceased hostages, while Israel released 2,000, including 250 who were serving life sentences. Twenty-one deceased hostages are unaccounted for, and Hamas claims they aren’t sure where the bodies are located because they could be under rubble from Israel’s bombing campaign.
It seems strange that Hamas didn’t disclose this while the final details of the peace agreement were being hammered out. It’s not a stretch to believe Hamas is using the deceased hostages as some sick leveraging tool since it’s really the only real leverage they have left after being decimated by Israel’s military.
To show how depraved and bloodthirsty these terrorists are, reports are coming out of Gaza of Palestinian on Palestinian violence, where rival groups are publicly executing each other in the streets.
This was such a momentous achievement for the president and the administration that even the Democrats and the media had to give the president plaudits.
Former President Biden (or someone on his behalf) wrote on X, “The road to this deal was not easy…I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line.”
Former President Clinton wrote: “President Trump and his administration, Qatar, and other regional actors deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached.” Clinton initiated the Oslo Accords in 1993 that created a framework for limited Palestinian self-rule in parts of the West Bank and Gaza.
New York Times: “Rarely has an American president…been met with such adulation abroad.”
Even Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, one of the most partisan members of the Democrat caucus, gave kudos to the President: “Congratulations to President Trump for the historic Gaza agreement…Now lets negotiate a political ceasefire on Capitol Hill.”
Other Senate Democrats on the Sunday shows gave muted praise, in between clenched teeth. Still, one talking point that was constantly uttered was that this peace deal was on the table last year, but Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected it.
We have to ask if Hamas would have agreed to this deal. Remember, this was before President Trump bombed Iran’s underground nuclear sites that ultimately brought them to heel. This significantly weakened Iran’s regional influence and put pressure on Hamas militarily and financially.
The president’s personal relationship with regional Arab leaders, coupled with pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu with private assurances of U.S. support, while also criticizing Netanyahu on civilian casualties and a lack of humanitarian aid, was the shove in the right direction Netanyahu needed to end the war.
I’ve said on my radio show that President Trump is a blend of FDR and LBJ. Not policy-wise, of course. FDR greatly expanded executive power during his presidency. He even went as far as to initiate a plan to pack the Supreme Court so he could implement his New Deal policies with little to no obstruction.
LBJ was the Master of the Senate. He often got his way as majority leader and president by sheer will and force of personality. Like Trump, he was boorish and frequently broke DC norms, but he was also very effective in passing his legislative agenda into law.
The media makes light of the fact that the president styles himself as the consummate dealmaker and has written a famous book detailing his deal-making skills. The president used skills honed as a prominent New York developer to get this deal done: personal relationships, transactional diplomacy, and, of course, showmanship.
Project 21 Ambassador Christopher Arps is a managing partner with the public affairs and communications consulting firm Red Tail Strategies, LLC. He’s the co-founder of Move-On)-Up.org and President of Americans for Citizen Voting (ACV), a 501(c)(4) dedicated to the belief that only citizens should vote in our local, state, and national elections. He’s the afternoon drive co-host of The Tim Jones and Chris Arps Show on NewstalkSTL 101.9 & 94.1. This was originally published at RedState.
*Disclaimer: The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Sacramento Observer, its owners, or management. T