Fareed Zakaria

At the end of the day, the person he does the deal with never wants to deal with him again. I mean, that is basically one of the leitmotifs of Trump's business career. He screws you in the deal and then moves on, and the next time around, screws somebody else. But that's not what American foreign policy has been built on.

It's been built on these alliances and these relationships that have endured now for almost a century. And by the way, very few countries have managed that. So Trump, by strong arming a few people, a few of these countries will get in the short term a better deal. Again, we're very powerful. We're very rich. But is that going to build power? real trust for the next 40, 50 years? I don't think so.

It's been built on these alliances and these relationships that have endured now for almost a century. And by the way, very few countries have managed that. So Trump, by strong arming a few people, a few of these countries will get in the short term a better deal. Again, we're very powerful. We're very rich. But is that going to build power? real trust for the next 40, 50 years? I don't think so.

It's going to give Trump a few good headlines. And by the way, on the Gaza thing, I think it's important to remember because I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East over the last nine months or so. I've been to Saudi Arabia four times. They were always willing to pay for the reconstruction.

It's going to give Trump a few good headlines. And by the way, on the Gaza thing, I think it's important to remember because I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East over the last nine months or so. I've been to Saudi Arabia four times. They were always willing to pay for the reconstruction.

The idea that Trump's bizarre Gaza proposal has gotten the Saudis and the Egyptians to be ready to be involved is not true. The issue has always been who will govern Gaza. And that was, you know, the Israelis say it can't be any Hamas involvement. The Arabs say, look, if it's going to be no Hamas involvement, then you have to allow the Palestinian Authority to do it. And the Israelis say no.

The idea that Trump's bizarre Gaza proposal has gotten the Saudis and the Egyptians to be ready to be involved is not true. The issue has always been who will govern Gaza. And that was, you know, the Israelis say it can't be any Hamas involvement. The Arabs say, look, if it's going to be no Hamas involvement, then you have to allow the Palestinian Authority to do it. And the Israelis say no.

And the Israeli response is, why can't the Arabs do it? Well, the Arabs don't want to be in the position of ruling over the Palestinians. They don't want to be in a position where Hamas launches an insurgency against them. That has been the sticking point, not the money. They've always been willing to pay the money. And by the way, that will continue to be the sticking point.

And the Israeli response is, why can't the Arabs do it? Well, the Arabs don't want to be in the position of ruling over the Palestinians. They don't want to be in a position where Hamas launches an insurgency against them. That has been the sticking point, not the money. They've always been willing to pay the money. And by the way, that will continue to be the sticking point.

That is the hard part of the Gaza business, not getting the Saudis and the UAE to pony up the cash.

That is the hard part of the Gaza business, not getting the Saudis and the UAE to pony up the cash.

Yeah, look, the left has collapsed everywhere. I mean, if you look at Europe, the real story of the European elections over the last 10 years is the collapse of the left. The French left has collapsed. The German left has collapsed. You know, Holland, wherever you look, Sweden was run by the Swedish Social Democrats for 75 years, and they're in trouble.

Yeah, look, the left has collapsed everywhere. I mean, if you look at Europe, the real story of the European elections over the last 10 years is the collapse of the left. The French left has collapsed. The German left has collapsed. You know, Holland, wherever you look, Sweden was run by the Swedish Social Democrats for 75 years, and they're in trouble.

And I think it's principally over the issue of immigration. As you know, I've been hardline on immigration. I think the whole system is – the asylum system needs to be scrapped. And the fact that the left was not willing to frontally acknowledge that you had millions of people coming in who were obviously gaming the system, claiming to be asylum seekers when they were really economic migrants –

And I think it's principally over the issue of immigration. As you know, I've been hardline on immigration. I think the whole system is – the asylum system needs to be scrapped. And the fact that the left was not willing to frontally acknowledge that you had millions of people coming in who were obviously gaming the system, claiming to be asylum seekers when they were really economic migrants –

The left is paying a huge price for that everywhere, and they will continue to pay a price for that because even now it'll feel like catch up when they do it. On the international side, I don't think there was any such deep dissatisfaction with the international system as it exists. I think it's, to a large extent, Trump's grievances around it that have exploited it. But he taps into it.

The left is paying a huge price for that everywhere, and they will continue to pay a price for that because even now it'll feel like catch up when they do it. On the international side, I don't think there was any such deep dissatisfaction with the international system as it exists. I think it's, to a large extent, Trump's grievances around it that have exploited it. But he taps into it.

a certain kind of American Jacksonianism that says, why are we entangled with these people? The United States has always had two fundamental attitudes. One, we are too good to participate in the world, or we are so good that we should completely transform the world. But to actually engage in the world as it exists has always been difficult for the United States because it's an ideological nation.

a certain kind of American Jacksonianism that says, why are we entangled with these people? The United States has always had two fundamental attitudes. One, we are too good to participate in the world, or we are so good that we should completely transform the world. But to actually engage in the world as it exists has always been difficult for the United States because it's an ideological nation.

It It believes it is exceptional and all that. And I think you see some of that in the Trump attitude. I think the point you made about Europe is the principal place where I would say there was a lesson to learn that we had gotten too complacent about the Western alliance and we had gotten too complacent about Europe's foreign policy dysfunctions.