President Trump got some compliments for his steel-clad leadership from one veteran observer who recognizes the value in a bold and forthright American leader on the global stage.
Donald Rumsfeld, who served as secretary of defense under former Presidents Gerald Ford and George W. Bush, offered insight on Mr. Trump and the potential threat of Russia and China
“I don’t know President Trump. I’ve never met him. But I certainly think that his demeanor in the presidency is a deterrent to those two countries,” Mr. Rumsfeld told Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Thursday.
“He’s not tucked in and worried and cautious,” Mr. Rumsfeld said of Mr. Trump during the wide-ranging conversation. “He’s a bold leader and he speaks his mind. And it seems to me that people sitting in the Kremlin and in Beijing see that, and are probably respectful of the fact that it is not in their interest to engage in things that are disadvantageous to the United States.”
He has perspective. In his long career, Mr. Rumsfeld was also a Navy aviator, a three-term congressman representing Illinois, an adviser and counselor in the Nixon administration, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and White House chief of staff for Gerald Ford.
“I voted for Trump and I wouldn’t have voted for Hillary Clinton. And I get up in the morning and say to myself, ‘I think the country is better off today than if we had Hillary in the presidency,’” he concluded.
There were other accolades for the president. Discussion continues in the news media over Mr. Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem in a very public way. One former campaign rival had a positive reaction.
“Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and I applaud @POTUS for seeing through America’s promise to relocate its embassy there. This is an important show of solidarity with Israel, one of our nation’s greatest allies,” tweeted Jeb Bush in the aftermath of Mr. Trump’s decision.
RedState.com founder Erick Erickson, meanwhile, offered a thumbs up to the president in a op-ed titled “Jerusalem is why Trump’s in the White House,” which appeared at FoxNews.com
“President Trump is committing the most grievance ‘sin’ any politician in Washington can commit. He is walking the walk instead of just talking the talk. This is the behavior that is responsible for his election,” Mr. Erickson observed.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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