Trump hosts four foreign heads of state in two weeks

Trump hosts four foreign heads of state in two weeks

In the last two weeks, numerous high-ranking dignitaries have been President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, which is unprecedented in the history of recent presidents - except for his first term. This rapid succession of visits surpasses the initial phase of most recent presidents.

Visits and meetings in the Oval Office

However, the meetings so far have not resulted in any significant new announcements, as is often the case with previously scheduled talks between leaders. The biggest innovation – Trump’s announcement of one plan to control Gaza and on the resettlement of Palestinians – was inserted at the last minute into his speech, which he delivered jointly with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held.

Strategy of the leaders

The meetings appear to reflect the strategy of many monarchs, presidents and prime ministers who have prepared to negotiate with the volatile and transactional leader: the more face-to-face meetings, the better. Since Trump's second term began last month, the flags of Israel, Japan and India have flown outside Blair House, the president's guest quarters, a sign of their presence.

So far, Trump has hosted four high-profile guests, surpassing the early days of President Barack Obama's first term, when he waited until late February to host the first foreign leader. President George W. Bush invited his Canadian counterpart to talks within two weeks of taking office, while attendance was limited early in President Joe Biden's term due to Covid-19 restrictions. Biden did not receive a foreign head of state until mid-April.

Invitations to close allies

Trump, on the other hand, hosted heads of state twice this week and twice last week, focusing on the leaders of close US allies. King Abdullah has traditionally been the first Arab leader to visit the White House after a presidential election, while the Japanese prime minister is usually the first guest from Asia.

But it became clear during visits by Israeli and Indian leaders that Trump also invited politicians accused of undermining democracy in their countries. These leaders brought gifts, both rhetorical and physical. Netanyahu, Trump's first foreign visitor, presented him with one gold-plated pager, a macabre allusion to one fatal operation, which Israel carried out in Lebanon.

Appreciation and the art of persuasion

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, however, expressed his appreciation in the form of flattery. During a press conference in the East Room, he told Trump: "I was so excited to see such a celebrity on television. On television he is scary and has a very strong personality, but when I met him he was actually very sincere, very powerful and with a strong will for the United States." Trump responded with a broad smile and offered his guest a signed photo.

The push to meet Trump reflects leaders' attempts to make his voice heard when he was first elected in 2016. The first to reach Trump Tower was Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister who was assassinated in 2022 and who came to the Trump apartment in Manhattan with gold-plated golf clubs as a gift.

Influence of the encounters

Although the Japanese were not the only ones trained to praise Trump, Modi, who visited Trump on Thursday, had also staged an elaborate show of appreciation in 2020 when he filled a 110,000-seat cricket stadium in Ahmedabad for a "Namaste Trump" event. “To use an expression from America, our goal for a developed India is to Make India Great Again or MIGA,” he said on Thursday as Trump pumped his fist in celebration. “When America and India work together, MAGA plus MIGA becomes MEGA: a mega-partnership for prosperity.”

Netanyahu, whose relationship with Trump cooled four years ago while congratulating Joe Biden, appeared eager to make up for time when he met with Trump last week. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House," he said at the start of a joint press conference.

The challenges in the Middle East

Jordan's King Abdullah, whose meeting on Tuesday was particularly contentious over Trump's Gaza plan, gave little indication of his doubts. He also suggested that Trump might be more successful than his predecessor - apparently without any desperate desire to criticize the existing political situation. “I truly believe that despite all the challenges in the Middle East, I finally see a path that could help us achieve stability, peace and prosperity for all of us in the region,” he said.

Still, Abdallah's experiences in the Oval Office highlighted the limits of presidential contacts. First of all, the meeting was suddenly opened to cameras after originally being listed as “closed press”; a private format might have been easier for the king to express his doubts about Trump's Gaza plans. With the cameras trained on him, Abdullah made clear his concerns about Trump's plan to relocate more than a million Palestinians and house them on "plots of land" in Jordan.

But it seemed to have little impact on Trump; By the end of the meeting, the president only sounded more confident in his idea. This was exactly the opposite of what Abdullah had hoped to hear. Given the growing unrest among the population, he was undoubtedly eager to get Trump to take a softer stance on what he saw as an existential problem.

The following day, Trump released a video that included a diplomatic clarification following the encounter. “I just want to say that you have a king who is a great man, he is a leader, he has a wonderful heart, he loves you so much,” Trump said in his “Message to the People of Jordan.” “They are very lucky to have him,” Trump added. "God bless you all. You will have a great life. You have a great king."