Former President Donald Trump claimed in an interview Thursday that Israel would not “necessarily … have to” end Iran’s theocratic regime if he were returned to the White House, suggesting the Republican nominee would encourage peace talks between the two enemies.
Asked by host Hugh Hewitt whether he believed he could “get Israel and our Gulf State allies to get rid of that [Iranian] regime before they get a nuke,” Trump, 78, said Iran may be willing to negotiate a settlement instead.
“Well, I don’t necessarily know that you have to, but I think that we are in much better position,” Trump said. “Had [Israel] followed Biden’s advice, they would be waiting for a bomb to drop onto them. But fortunately, you know, Bibi [Netanyahu] calls me quite a bit, and we have a lot of talks. But I always say, ‘Make up your own mind.’ But Bibi has his own opinions.”
“Had Bibi listened to Biden, he would right now be waiting for a nuclear bomb to drop on his head, OK?” the 45th president reiterated. “And now, the opposite. He put them in a very good negotiating position. I think he could survive this. You want to know? I think he’s in position where he can fight them or he can make a deal, and a good deal, a real deal.”
Still, when Hewitt asked if Trump would use force to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon “if necessary,” the former president answered that he would.
“I really think that Iran right now can be spoken to very easily. And three or four months ago, or a few months ago, I think it would have been much harder,” Trump said.
Trump also said Thursday he could reach a similar understanding with Chinese President Xi Jinping — who he said would treat Vice President Kamala Harris “like a baby.”
“He’d take all the candy away very quickly. She wouldn’t have any idea what happened,” he said. “It would be like a grand chess master playing a beginner. We would lose our country or be in World War III.”
“It could be that that would happen, too,” Trump added of Harris, “because she’d get exasperated. She’s in no way able to handle him. He’s a fierce individual.”
Asked by Hewitt whether Trump could “deter [Xi] from attacking Taiwan,” Trump said he didn’t think the Chinese dictator “is a threat to America if you have the right president.”
“I got along with him very good. I was tough on him, too. I had, you know, we took in $400 billion-plus worth of tariffs,” he said. “He wasn’t thrilled with that, but I had a good relationship with him until COVID. That was a bridge too far, and I broke it up.”
Hewitt then pressed Trump again, noting Xi is “leaning in pretty hard on Taiwan right now.”
“He encircled the island this week with their live fire drills,” the Salem Radio host said. “Do you think you can stop him from this nonsense? Because it would crash the world economy if he did that.”
Trump responded by saying Xi would rather take Taiwan under the Harris-Biden administration that his own.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “He’d rather do it under them than have to do it with me. Very simple.”