US President Donald Trump has claimed that Saudi Arabia and Israel would not exist today without the protection provided by the United States under his leadership.
In an interview with TIME, Trump was asked about his current relationship with Saudi Arabia following reports that Riyadh had been unhappy with the US response to Houthi attacks.
“Good, good. I've done a lot for Saudi Arabia. I protect Saudi Arabia. If I weren't president, Saudi Arabia wouldn't be here right now. Neither would Israel. They'd be wiped off the face of the planet,” Trump told TIME.
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US President Donald Trump has claimed that Saudi Arabia and Israel “wouldn't be here” if he were not president, arguing that Washington's military backing has been crucial to the survival of both countries.
In an interview with TIME at the White House on Sept. 28, Trump said his relationship with Saudi Arabia remained strong and that he had “done a lot” for the kingdom.
Trump said he had a very good relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and maintained that US support had deterred threats against the kingdom.
“My relationship with them is very good. I like the crown prince. My relationship is very good,” he said.
Trump made a similar argument about Israel, saying the country would not have been able to defend itself against its adversaries without US support.
“Israel wouldn't have been able to defend itself against that power if the United States wasn't” Trump said, before returning to his broader argument about US involvement in the region.
He also rejected being drawn into commenting on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should seek another term.
Asked whether Netanyahu should be re-elected, Trump said his priority was helping Israel defend itself, particularly against Iran.
“My thing that I mention all the time is Iran cannot have a nuclear power because they are crazy and you can't let crazy people have nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
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