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President Donald Trump told Fox News that his administration’s use of tariffs played a critical role in brokering what he called “the biggest deal ever made” for Middle East peace, crediting trade threats with bringing hostile nations to the negotiating table and saving millions of lives globally.
In an extensive interview that aired as hostages prepared for release from Gaza, Trump outlined his doctrine of using economic leverage to achieve diplomatic breakthroughs, arguing that tariff power represents an essential constitutional tool for the commander-in-chief that should not be stripped away by pending Supreme Court challenges.
“The tariffs have brought peace to the world,” Trump said. “I’m telling you, they’ve brought peace to the world, and not only here, but with so many other deals.”
The president said he has brokered seven peace agreements during his terms in office, with at least five achieved through threats of trade restrictions against nations engaged in conflicts lasting decades or even centuries.
“I’ve made seven peace deals where countries were, in many cases, 30, 31 years, 135, 137 years they’ve been fighting and millions of people being killed, and I brought peace,” Trump said.
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Nuclear Strike Paved Way for Deal
Trump revealed that Iran stood approximately one to two months from developing nuclear weapons capability before his administration destroyed the country’s nuclear sites, a military action he described as essential to making the peace agreement possible.
“Iran was about one month, maybe two months away from having a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “And if I allowed that to happen, this deal would not have been possible.”
He said the elimination of Iran’s nuclear program removed what would have been “a very dark cloud” over any potential peace arrangement and fundamentally changed the negotiating dynamic in the region.
“So by doing that, we now have something where actually Iran and I and Iran and a number of people have been talking about,” Trump said. “But it’s a very much different Iran.”
The president said Iran blessed the peace deal hours before the Fox News interview, calling it “a tremendous thing” that demonstrates how removing the nuclear threat transformed regional dynamics.
“I believe if they had a nuclear weapon, there would be a whole different—even if we made the deal, it would be—it would have—literally, it would have a very dark cloud over it because of what could potentially happen,” Trump said.
Hostages Expected Monday
Trump said hostages held in Gaza will likely be released Monday, including both those still alive and the bodies of 28 people confirmed dead. He described emotional conversations with parents desperate to recover their children’s remains.
“The parents are more—almost more intent, but equally intent as getting their—in just about all cases—the son’s body back than they are, as though the young man was alive,” Trump said. “It’s just the same intensity. They want their baby’s body back.”
One mother’s plea particularly affected him, Trump said, recounting how she referred to her deceased 25- or 26-year-old son as her baby.
The president said extensive efforts are underway to extract hostages being held deep underground, with much happening behind the scenes as negotiations conclude.
“As we speak, so much is happening to get the hostages freed, and we think they’ll all be coming back on Monday,” Trump said.
Tariffs as Peace Tool
Trump defended his use of tariffs as both an economic and diplomatic instrument, citing the India-Pakistan conflict as an example of trade threats forcing nuclear powers to negotiate.
“I said, well, we’re not going to do business with either of you if you don’t put it together,” Trump said. “These are two nuclear nations that were—seven planes were shot down, as you know, and they were really at it.”
After threatening massive tariffs on both countries, Trump said he secured a peace agreement within 24 hours that stopped active fighting.
“This is tremendous amounts of money and power we’re dealing with,” Trump said. “And within 24 hours, I had a peace deal. They stopped. They stopped the fighting.”
The president argued that without tariff authority, his administration would not have achieved its diplomatic successes or restored American economic power.
“Without tariffs, it’s a different country,” Trump said. “Tariffs have been used on us to take our wealth and to take tremendous amounts of our power away from us.”
Supreme Court Challenge Looms
Trump warned that a Supreme Court case challenging presidential tariff authority could cripple American diplomatic leverage and national security, calling those behind the lawsuit “enemies of the country.”
“If that power was taken away from the president of the United States, it would be a terrible, terrible day for our country,” Trump said. “And I would say many of the things that I’ve done could be eradicated, and the United States would be in a very, very bad, vulnerable position.”
He said foreign countries brought the lawsuit because they can no longer take advantage of the United States under his trade policies.
“These are all foreign-related countries, because all of a sudden they can’t take advantage of the United States anymore,” Trump said.
The president said legal scholars widely agree the president possesses constitutional authority to impose tariffs, arguing that without such power, other nations could impose trade restrictions on America without facing retaliation.
“Almost every single legal scholar said the president has the right to enact tariffs,” Trump said. “If you didn’t have that right, we’d be in big trouble, because other countries would be able to do it against us, and we wouldn’t be able to do it against them.”
Council of Peace Planned
Trump said his administration is forming what will likely be called the Council of Peace to oversee Gaza reconstruction and ensure lasting stability in the region.
“The Council of Peace, we think it’s going to be called, and it’s going to be very powerful,” Trump said. “And it’s going to really—I think, to a large extent, it’s going to have a lot to do with the whole Gaza situation.”
He said wealthy Arab nations will contribute resources to rebuild Gaza, which has been “blown to pieces” over years of conflict, and that the arrangement will create “a peaceful, much safer place.”
“Just spending a small portion of that wealth can do so much for that area,” Trump said.
The president described the agreement as potentially ending 3,000 years of conflict, though he noted some observers date the current phase to events 500 years ago.
“There’s nothing ever going to be bigger than this,” Trump said. “And so Gaza, we believe, is going to be a much safer place, and it’s going to be a place that reconstructs.”
Netanyahu Reaction
Trump said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before the interview, recounting their conversation about the deal’s reception.
“He called. He said, I can’t believe it. He said, everybody’s liking me now, meaning him,” Trump said. “I said, more importantly, they’re loving Israel again. And they really are.”
Trump said he told Netanyahu that Israel cannot sustain conflict with the entire world, a reality the Israeli leader understands.
“I said, Israel cannot fight the world, Bibi. They can’t fight the world,” Trump said. “And he understands that very well.”
Trade Deals Flowing
The president said his administration has secured trade agreements with Japan, South Korea and other nations that are generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue while restoring American credibility globally.
“We’re making friends, frankly. They respect us again,” Trump said. “You know, we’re like a respected country again. We were laughed at.”
He criticized the Biden administration’s trade policies, saying America became “a laughingstock” that allies took advantage of more severely than adversaries.
“Nobody took advantage of us worse than our so-called allies on trade,” Trump said.
Trump said the King of Saudi Arabia told him that a year ago America was “a dead country” but has now become “the hottest country anywhere in the world.”
Domestic Impact
Trump highlighted his administration’s efforts to restore safety in American cities, particularly Washington, D.C., where he said authorities removed 1,700 criminals, including gang members from other countries and people released from foreign prisons.
“The jails were literally opened up in Venezuela and other countries into our country,” Trump said. “And we’ve gotten them out.”
He said the capital has been transformed over two months, with restaurants now booming after a period of closures driven by crime.
“Nobody’s ever seen a transformation like they have in Washington, D.C.,” Trump said. “It’s as hot as it can get. It’s beautiful.”
The peace agreement represents what Trump called a convergence of circumstances, talent and luck that produced unprecedented diplomatic results bringing together nations that previously refused cooperation.
“It’s a beautiful picture,” Trump said. “I don’t know if it could ever happen again.”
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