Reflecting on his first year in office in an interview with the Israeli daily newspaper Israel Hayom, President Donald Trump said that his official recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was the pinnacle of his presidency so far.
“I think that Jerusalem was my high point,” Trump told Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom’s editor-in-chief. “It was very significant that I recognized Jerusalem as your wonderful capital city. This was an extremely important decision for many people, who thanked me. To be completely honest, there were others who did not thank me. But it was an extremely important promise that I promised—and fulfilled.”
Trump stated that while he knew he would go forward with recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital during his first year as president, he also understood why previous presidents had not.
“Incredible pressure was imposed on them not to do it,” Trump said. “All the other presidents failed to keep their promise, despite the fact that they promised it during the course of their election campaigns. But I understand, because the effort to prevent them to do it was enormous.”