President Trump surprised friend and foe alike this week by drawing a firm line on the Middle East: he publicly declared that the United States will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, a move that flips the script on naive diplomacy and puts American interests and regional stability first. Conservatives who have long demanded tough, realistic foreign policy should welcome a president who understands that muscle and clear boundaries preserve peace.
At the United Nations, Mr. Trump also cut through the fog of wishful thinking about Russia, bluntly calling Moscow a “paper tiger” as he urged Western partners to back Ukraine in reclaiming its territory. Whatever you thought of his earlier outreach to Putin, this is decisive rhetoric from a commander-in-chief fed up with excuses and half-measures.
Retired Gen. Jack Keane, a straight-shooting voice on national security, read the president’s moves the same way many Americans did — as a public breaking point with Vladimir Putin. Keane told viewers that Trump has signaled a change in posture, one that abandons the old bromance with Kremlin strongmen and favors American strength and allies.
This is the kind of leadership conservatives have been calling for: a White House that mixes diplomacy with deterrence and refuses to bless unilateral grabs of territory or let autocrats dictate outcomes. Trump’s rhetoric this week, reinforced by his meetings and messaging at the U.N., shows a willingness to back words with pressure, not platitudes.
Make no mistake — standing firm on the West Bank issue isn’t weakness toward Israel, it’s realism that protects the long-term survival of a democratic ally and avoids sparking new regional conflagrations. Too many on the left and in the professional diplomatic class would rather posture than secure lasting peace; Trump is forcing a grown-up conversation that refuses to paper over truths. No one should mistake prudent limits for betrayal.
The president’s newfound bluntness toward Russia is a welcome corrective to years of muddled policy that treated aggression as an acceptable expense of global indifference. If words matter, then calling out a failing Russian war effort and signaling that the U.S. won’t tolerate further destabilization is exactly what our friends and adversaries need to hear from Washington.
Moscow’s predictable reaction — dressing down the “paper tiger” line and insisting it remains a geopolitical bear — only proves the point that blunt pressure gets under authoritarian skins and forces them to show their hand. That jab from the Kremlin underscores why America must stop playing by the old rules and start setting clear consequences for bad actors.
Patriots should rally behind a president who finally seems willing to put American power and principle ahead of globalist hedging and virtue signaling. Mr. Trump’s moves this week show the country a path that mixes courage with pragmatism, and it’s time conservatives demand that Washington follow through with policies — not just sound bites — that keep America and its allies secure.
