“Israelis should remain 100% calm — Trump has not turned on you at all,” author and media figure Mike Evans, considered an influential figure in the Republican Party and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, said as he sought to ease Israeli concerns over the harsh remarks recently heard in Washington.
“What is happening now is not President Trump’s policy toward Israel,” he said in an interview with ynet. “I know the president’s policy, and it speaks for itself — from the release of the hostages, through the recognition of Jerusalem and the attack on Iran. There is tension because it is complicated. He is trying to avoid damage in the midterm elections, but I can say there is no chance Trump will drink Iran’s ‘poison cup’ in this memorandum of understanding. There is no chance Trump will give Iran $300 billion.”
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'Trump’s policy toward Israel speaks for itself'; Mike Evans and US President Donald Trump
(Photo: The White House)
Evans is aware of the shock in Israel not only over what appears to be a shift in Trump’s attitude toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but also over the harsh comments by Vice President JD Vance.
“The only thing you need to do is stay calm,” he said. “This is a president who is fighting a war and wants to avoid wrong moves. According to Pentagon calculations, one wrong move in Iran and many Americans will be killed. That means eight years of ground war. Thousands of American soldiers returning in body bags, and Trump does not want that. He opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Evans said what is now influencing the president’s policy is the desire to win the midterm elections, which will be held in November.
“If you lose, the Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives and try to impeach him — and they will not support Israel at all,” he said. “Trump is gifted. He is a brilliant negotiator. What is happening now is negotiation, and it has nothing to do with the president’s policy toward Israel. We know this for certain because we have an office in the White House. We evangelicals gave him the presidency, and we are all pro-Israel.”
US Vice President JD Vance
(Photo: Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)
Even after the vice president sharply criticized Cabinet ministers, Evans remains convinced there is no cause for concern.
“The vice president is not the president, and in fact there are two teams advising Trump,” he said. “There is the brilliant secretary of state, the secretary of defense and the CIA director — all of whom are very strong in their support for Israel.
“On the other side are individuals like Vance, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and the ambassador to Syria, Tom Barrack, who are trying to say: We need to work through diplomacy because look at what this is doing to America’s economy and the global economy, and we need to find a solution. There is one thing I know about Trump, and that is that he has very little tolerance for bullshit, and for people who lie to him and manipulate him. The Iranians are liars, terrorists, who are destroying the wonderful country of the Iranian people and have made life miserable for everyone in the Middle East. There is no chance Trump will dance with a partner like that.”
Asked whether he was disappointed by Vance’s comments, Evans replied: “This is a long game. I base my confidence on the person I know, and I respect him. He will not become an enemy of Israel. When we gave Trump the presidency, we asked him for only two things — support biblical values and support Israel. He exceeded all our expectations. This is war, and people say things they may regret.”
The memorandum of understanding would give the Iranians access to billions of dollars, but Evans is convinced that “Trump is not going to give them anything.”
“We are not worried about the memorandum of understanding. We know it simply will not happen,” he said. “The decisions will not be honored. He is trying to negotiate with them, but he has a huge tool, the military, and in the end he will use it in the negotiations.”
Ivanka and Donald Trump
(Photo: AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Evans stressed that “Israel has nothing to apologize for. It is defending itself. I live in Texas. If missiles were coming every day at El Paso and San Antonio, our governor and the president would flatten Tijuana. There would be no negotiations at all. Iran cannot have an atomic bomb. If Osama bin Laden had had an atomic bomb, New York would have been Hiroshima. If Hitler had had a bomb, we would all be speaking German.”
Evans also argued that the memorandum of understanding gives Israel leverage precisely because it is not a party to it.
“The condition for the memorandum of understanding is withdrawal from Lebanon, and only Netanyahu can make that decision, which he bases on Israel’s security,” he said. “If Netanyahu says he cannot leave Lebanon because it harms the country’s security, then the Iranians cannot move forward with the memorandum of understanding.”
Evans made clear in the interview how important the U.S. midterm elections are for Israel as well.
“If Trump does not win the midterms, it appears the next president will be an anti-Israel Democratic president,” he said. “That means the Democrats will take control of everything.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Courtesy of JNS Policy Summit)
Evans said he had “already launched a campaign” that he believes will be key to victory in the next election: Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, running together.
“JD Vance has zero chance of being president,” he said. “In my view, Ivanka has the ability, and no one would be able to run against them. Trump will under no circumstances allow anyone to hold the nomination for vice president if Ivanka says yes. I think that in such a case, Israel’s future is bright.”
Evans concluded: “I am not worried about the relationship between Bibi and Trump. The president is a genius, but authentic. He says what he feels. They are the only two leaders in the world who live on three hours of sleep a night.”