U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Sharm El Sheikh, on Monday.Evan Vucci/The Associated Press
Donald Trump’s peace accord in the Middle East is winning as much praise, if not more, than any foreign policy triumph by a U.S. president in decades.
It’s like Richard Nixon going to China or Jimmy Carter’s Camp David Accords. Ronald Reagan’s role in ending the Cold War comes to mind in terms of magnitude, but that was more Mikhail Gorbachev’s doing than Mr. Reagan’s.
Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Reagan was a showman. In Canada, we initially feared he was a warmonger, and there was good reason - such as the time he returned from a trip to Latin America - to be concerned about his policy depth. “You’d be surprised,” Mr. Reagan eyepoppingly observed. “They’re all individual countries.”
But Mr. Reagan became a peacemaker. And while there have been fears that Mr. Trump’s recklessness would lead to wars, he’s donned the mantle of peacemaker as well.
Much could go wrong with Mr. Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians. But it would be churlish not to give him his due. Political enemies are singing his praises. Even late-night liberal comics Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert are applauding. Venezuelan María Corina Machado dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to him.
A President obsessed with self-aggrandizement is getting hero worship in gushes. And therein lies the danger. The Trump success serves to vindicate and legitimize the authoritarian brand of his presidency. It provides cover for autocracy.
Given his taking a wrecking ball to checks and balances in the system, Mr. Trump had already come to be regarded as the most powerful of presidents. But if he was Caesar before, he is Goliath now. And woe be the consequences.
Robyn Urback: Donald Trump was the essential element for the Gaza ceasefire
Having achieved peace abroad, he now has more licence to wage war at home.
War at home? Where does it stop? He is at war with the media, with anyone who has crossed him, with diversity, with Democrat-run cities to which he has dispatched the military, with believers in climate change.
He is at war with universities, with truth, with people of colour, with free trade, with immigrants, with the deep state (with his mass firings), with Congress, which is shut down.
There can be no expectation that Mr. Trump will back off on his extremely divisive approach, only that he will press his agenda harder. The narcissist President believed he could do no wrong. Now with so many falling at his feet, he will be convinced of it. Out of fear of harsh retribution, there weren’t many who were prepared to stand up to him. Now there will be even fewer.
The fourth estate, the institution that can check him, is becoming more weakened by the day. The free press under Mr. Trump means one that does not criticize his administration. In an interview with Vice-President JD Vance, George Stephanopoulos of ABC asked a legitimate question about border czar Tom Homan allegedly accepting a US$50,000 bag of cash. Mr. Vance immediately took to trashing his interviewer, citing declining ratings. The next day, an ABC reporter asked Mr. Trump a question. “I don’t take questions from ‘ABC Fake News,’” he responded, “after what you did with Stephanopoulos with the Vice-President of the United States.”
Analysis: At leaders’ summit in Egypt, Trump unveils fuzzy commitment to ‘peace in the Middle East’
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Egypt on Monday.Amr Nabil/The Associated Press
Foreign leaders were hardly inclined to challenge Mr. Trump before. They’ll be lining up even more to seek his favour now. Prime Minister Mark Carney quickly arranged a flight to Egypt Sunday to take part in the signing of the Gaza peace deal. Given the importance of the occasion it was the right thing to do. The two seemed to get along. In his speech, Mr. Trump accidentally referred to Mr. Carney as president instead of prime minister. “At least I didn’t call you ‘governor,’” he cracked when seeing the PM later.
Mr. Trump’s achievement will improve his standing in Canada a bit, according to several pollsters I contacted, but certainly not enough to overcome the intense degree of animosity he has stirred here with his trade measures. “Some may admire the result,“ said Darrell Bricker of Ipsos, ”but in Canada, his image is shaped mostly by how he treats our country.”
“He will get some deserved credit here for the peace deal,” said Frank Graves of Ekos. But he warned of yet more power going to Mr. Trump’s head. “The inventory of incipient fascism in the U.S. is growing daily, as is the continued acceleration of the hyper-rich away from everyone else.”
Autocrats, it need be said, are capable of doing good things. Goliath’s role in Gaza proves it. But being peacemaker there increases the chances of his being the opposite at home.