America UnCanceled: Mercedes Schlapp & KT McFarland

Mercedes Schlapp and KT McFarland, Former Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States under President Donald Trump and CPAC board member, had a conversation about President Trump’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. They comment on how the President’s trip to the Middle East shows that he commands respect and is able to complete profitable deals for the United States. 

The trip, says McFarland, is a culmination of an ongoing effort from the early days of his first term. There was a question from the very first week of his first term of determining who the United States would support in the generational struggle for succession. President Trump had a decision to support the traditionalist older factions or the younger “forward-thinking” faction who support an “open society, diversified economy, and rights for women.” 

President Trump took the risk of supporting the younger generation in the dispute over succession. More particularly, the president supported the rule of Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman al Saud. The new Prime Minister, says McFarland, revolutionized the Saudi economy: 

“He [Mohammed bin Salman al Saud] really delivered on everything he promised to President Trump. Not only did he open up his society, not just for a petroleum-based society, but they looked to the future, they looked to technology, they looked to infrastructure development. And more importantly, he took a stand with the world against Islamic extremism.”

President Trump's current trip, McFarland goes on to say, to Saudi Arabia is a victory lap because, since the early deals in his first term, ISIS has lost significant power, and other Arab countries have followed Saudi Arabia in modernizing. “Not only do we have the Abraham Accords, but Saudi Arabia has fully modernized into the modern economy”, says McFarland. 

Saudi Arabia has been a great leader and example, bringing together younger generations that support peace in the Middle East, bringing better relations with Israel and Iran, and a new government in Syria. 

Mercedes comments on how she was surprised by the announcement by President Trump to lift US sanctions on the new government of Syria, because of their precedent for being an unstable country. She says that it was a risk for the United States, but that it could pay off since Syria has the opportunity to further develop and take on ISIS. 

“I think a lot of people were surprised. It was a risk, as you point out. The new Syrian leader, even though he was against the murderous, thuggish dictator Bashar al-Assad, he is untested…President Trump is saying, ‘I am willing to give him a chance at a future, and it's up to them to take it.’”, responds McFarland. Syria, hopefully, will take the opportunity and follow Saudi Arabia’s example of modernizing its economy and combating extremism. The new leadership has the potential to diminish Russian and Chinese influence in the region and further isolate Iran. 

McFarland adds that this effort by President Trump changes the precedent of interventionism set by “Neo-conservatives”. Trump is willing to make a deal with Iran when the establishment interventionists, both on the left and the right, would consider it unthinkable. 

McFarland says that Trump wants to put America’s interests first and not drag America into “forever wars” that only cause chaos, but to promote peace and prosperity. During President Trump’s speech in Saudi Arabia, he says it is not America’s responsibility to “look into the souls” of foreign leaders: 

“In recent years, far too many American Presidents have been afflicted with the notion that it's our job to look into the souls of foreign leaders and use US policy to dispense justice for their sins…I believe it is God’s job to sit in judgment and my job to defend America and to promote the fundamental interests for stability, prosperity, and peace”, says President Trump.

Mercedes says this is probably the most important line from his speech, which demonstrates that President Trump is America first, and he also wants prosperity and stability in the region. She believes the efforts of President Trump are profitable and creating stability in the region compared to President Obama’s trip to Egypt and the Arab Spring. 

McFarland says that the Obama and Bush administrations essentially told foreign countries how to govern themselves, which led to further instability. She goes on to say Trump is changing the paradigm, especially concerning Qatar, despite the criticism he has received for trying to broker a deal. “If you really do want peace, you have to talk to the other side…you will never get unconditional surrender”, says McFarland.

McFarland highlights how President Trump seems to feel the tremendous responsibility he has to service men and women, says that he will not hesitate to use the military, but first values positive coercion through technological and economic investment. 

One of the biggest challenges, says Mercedes, for President Trump is attempting to broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia for a ceasefire and eventual peace. Trump urges Russian President Putin to meet Ukrainian President Zelensky in Istanbul. “Putin is a fool if he doesn’t take all the olive branches President Trump has offered. President Trump is saying we can either do this the easy way or the hard way.”, says McFarland.