On the Monday following Thanksgiving, the principals of President Trump’s National Security Council met to discuss what the administration would do about recognizing the capital of the state of Israel. A federal law requires the U.S. embassy to be moved to Jerusalem unless waived by the president every six months—something every occupant of the White House since Bill Clinton has done. Trump, who has already waived it once, has been signaling he would likely change the status quo.
The deputy national security adviser, Rick Waddell, presented the principals with the options, one of which included declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel while still waiving the law to move the embassy. Jonathan Swan at Axios first reported Trump was likely to announce some version of this plan on Wednesday of this week.
Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, told reporters on Air Force One Monday that the president would not announce a decision about that waiver yet. Still, it’s likely the waiver will be signed, in large part because the logistics of moving the embassy from Tel Aviv have yet to be worked out.
2018 Watch—Appearing in Utah Monday, President Trump encouraged Orrin Hatch, the most senior Republican senator, to seek an eighth term. “You are a true fighter, Orrin,” Trump said to applause in Salt Lake City. “We hope you will continue to serve your state and your country in the Senate for a very long time to come.”
Hatch, who will be 84 years old next November, had reportedly considered retiring in 2018, paving the way for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to seek his seat. But Politico reports Trump is going “all out” to stop Romney, a sharp Republican critic of the president, from getting into the Senate.
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01.22.2025