Trump Would Have Stopped Gaza and Ukraine Wars, Says Lindsey Graham: ‘None of This Would Be Going On’

William FurneyNov 4, 2023

Minute Read

Palestinian terror group Hamas would not have had the nerve to attack Israel if Republican Donald Trump were in the White House, instead of Democratic President Biden, Senator Lindsey Graham believes.

Historic Attack on Israel

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Israeli intelligence agencies were caught off guard when Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel early on October 7, killing at least 1,400 people. It was the worst attack in Israel’s history, amid a decades-old conflict with the Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared war on Hamas, in an operation that has so far claimed the lives of over 8,000 people, mostly in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the terror group.

Concerns Over War Escalation

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There are fears other terrorist organizations in the region, including Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, could be drawn into the conflict, leading to a larger war. Already Hezbollah, which like Hamas seeks the annihilation of Israel, has been stepping up its rocket attacks on its neighbor.

‘No War if Trump President’

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Speaking on CNN, Senator Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said there would be no war between Israel and Hamas if Trump were in charge.

“I believe if Trump were president, none of this would be going on. If he were president of the United States, Hamas would not have attacked Israel — I really believe that,” he said.

‘Afraid of Trump’

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Graham suggested Trump was a strongman who Hamas feared — and also Russian President Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine in a war that is ongoing and has killed around 9,900 people, according to the United Nations.

“Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine because they’re afraid of the guy,” Graham said.

‘Wrong Way Around’

Many people on social media disagreed with Senator Graham’s view. One, writing on X, formerly Twitter, said: “Senator Graham, you have got it the wrong way round. Trump is afraid of Putin because of the dirt he has on Trump. And I bet when Trump loses the 2024 election and retires from the leadership, Putin will leak the dirt.”

‘Difference in Ukraine Aftermath’

Another person on X, Russell Drew, said: “Of course Vladimir Putin would’ve invaded Ukraine if Donald Trump were President — the only difference would’ve been the aftermath. Trump wouldn’t have rallied to the cause of a free and democratic Ukraine. Only Joe Biden did that and brought the Western world with him.”

‘What Basis?’

One X user, Mark Busching, was incredulous at the senator’s opinion. “On what possible basis can Senator Graham possibly maintain that Hamas would not have attacked Israel?” had Trump been president, he wrote.

Trump ‘Praise’ for Hezbollah

Graham’s comments come as Trump has reignited controversy over what many see as his praise of Hamas ally Hezbollah, branding the group that the US and other countries deem a “terrorist organization “very smart.” He doubled down on his view by sharing on social media a column by a conservative commentator who agreed with Trump’s assessment.

Trump ‘Dangerous and Unhinged’

The Biden administration said it was baffled by Trump’s remarks, calling them “dangerous” and “unhinged.”

“It’s completely lost on us why any American would ever praise an Iran-backed terrorist organization as ‘smart’,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said.

Trump ‘Shameful’

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The Israeli government was also shocked by Trump’s portrayal of Hezbollah as clever.

It was “shameful that a man like that, a former US president, abets propaganda and disseminates things that wound the spirit of Israel’s fighters and its citizens,” Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi told the country’s Channel 13.

Iowa Support for Trump and Middle East

In a new poll published on Wednesday, the majority of Republican voters polled in presidential battleground Iowa believe Trump would do a better job of dealing with the newly erupted war in the Middle East than contenders for the GOP nomination for the 2024 presidential race.

Trump Is GOP Voters’ Man

A total of 52 percent of GOP caucusgoers held the view that Trump was the man to sort out the Middle East conflict compared to former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who received 22 percent and 9 percent respectively in the poll.

A Trump White House Return?

Trump, 77, is aiming to return to the White House after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden, and is leading the Republican field by a margin of about 50 points, making him the clear favorite for the GOP nomination. But his potential path to the Oval Office is strewn with a mountain of federal and state indictments that could see him jailed.

Ineligibility Hearings

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Trump’s hopes of becoming president again may, however, be scuppered by legal proceedings underway in two states that were brought by liberal groups trying to prevent his return to the White House. They argue that deadly rioting at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, after Trump urged his followers to protest there against his 2020 election makes him ineligible to run for president under the Constitution’s insurrection clause. Trump’s lawyers say the clause only mentions House representatives and senators, not the US president, so it doesn’t apply to him.