President Donald Trump is earning rare praise from across the aisle for his high-profile swing through the Middle East, with one Democratic lawmaker putting his approval on the record.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, raised eyebrows Thursday by commending Trump’s handling of the region this week, according to a new report in the Western Journal. The comments came as Himes delivered remarks at Politico’s Security Summit in Washington, where Himes told the crowd he’s not one for heaping praise on the MAGA leader.
But, he added: “I’ve got to tell you, I think the president has, in this last week or so, played the Middle East pretty darn well," as reported by the Western Journal.
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The Connecticut Democrat went on to say that he thought Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “hellbent on going to war with Iran,” but credited Trump for following through with negotiations for a diplomatic solution.
“That’s pretty good stuff,” Himes said as he also applauded Trump’s move to lift sanctions on Syria, the outlet added.
“Our task is to unify against the few agents of chaos and terror that are left,” Trump said during his three-nation trip – which included stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. “The biggest and most destructive of these forces is the regime in Iran.”
Trump added that he wants to “make a deal with Iran."
"If Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch and continues to attack their neighbors, then we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure," he said.
WOW: Democratic Rep. Jim Himes crosses the Trump Derangement line to admit the president has impressed him on his latest tour of the Middle East.
”I'm not in the habit of praising Donald Trump. But I got to tell you I, the last week or so in the Middle East. Ukraine-Russia is a… pic.twitter.com/NeSNLzmVWl
— DeVory Darkins (@devorydarkins) May 15, 2025
