Jacob Heilbrunn

Donald Trump’s presidency lurches from embarrassment to disaster

Here we go again. Donald Trump decertified the Iran nuclear deal in October. Now, in another audacious foray into Middle East diplomacy, Trump is waving goodbye to the waiver about moving the American embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. It appears that the former real estate mogul will embark upon one last construction project. If he couldn’t build in Moscow, why not give Jerusalem a go?

Overnight, an international Nimby crowd has formed to decry the move. The Palestinians are announcing that it’s the ‘kiss of death’ to any negotiations about a two-state solution. The Saudis have voiced their firm opposition. Theresa May thinks that ‘The status of Jerusalem should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.’ Boris Johnson is expressing ‘concern’ about Donald Trump’s plans.

The move, however, is classic Trump. When faced with peril, he’s a chaos agent.

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