From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Trump Jr. says war hawks won’t be welcome in administration
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Donald Trump Jr. declares that he is working on ensuring that neoconservatives and war hawks are not included in his father’s next administration.
After American comedian Dave Smith tweeted, “We need maximum pressure to keep all neocons and war hawks out of the Trump administration,” Trump Jr. responds, “Agreed!!! 100% 100% 100% I’m on it.”
The comment is the latest to reflect the apparent ascendancy of anti-war isolationists in Trump’s nascent second administration, amid fears that Israel could come under heavy pressure to end its wars against the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups and lose support for action it may take against Iran.
Agreed????????????!!! I’m on it. https://t.co/wJga8VyIG2
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 10, 2024
Trump announced late Saturday that he would not appoint his former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo to roles in his next administration. According to Politico, the announcement came 30 minutes after the news site requested comment on a story about Pompeo’s bid to be defense chief being blocked by Trump Jr. and far-right commentator Tucker Carlson.
The pair are seen as leading the isolationists who appear to be fighting for influence against more hawkish conservatives. Vice President-elect JD Vance has apparently cast himself as part of the isolationist wing, albeit one willing to make an exception when it comes to supporting Israel. But even he stressed last month that US and Israeli interests won’t always align and that the US doesn’t support a war with Iran, insinuating that Jerusalem does.
