In a rare acknowledgment from one of cable news’ more liberal corners, a prominent MSNBC analyst reportedly credited President Donald J. Trump on Monday with achieving what he called a “victory” for the United States and for peace abroad, following the release of the final Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe just moments before Trump’s address to Israel’s Knesset, historian Jon Meacham — a longtime adviser and speechwriter for former President Joe Biden — said the release marked a historic moment and an undeniable achievement for the American president.
“It’s a terrific day for the hostage families,” Meacham said. “It’s a terrific day for President Trump, for our national interests.”
The exchange took place as the network’s panel discussed the sweeping diplomatic and military efforts that culminated in the safe return of all living hostages — a moment many around the world viewed as the symbolic end of a brutal two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Morning Joe co-host Jon Lemire suggested that it was unclear whether the deal would represent a lasting peace or simply a pause in ongoing tensions. “We don’t know if it will be the first chapter of a longer story of peace for the Middle East,” Lemire observed.
Meacham, however, was quick to emphasize the importance of acknowledging the milestone on its own terms. “You’re right, we don’t know how the story ends,” he said. “But stories are made up of chapters… We can go on and on about the various chapters, but we should make no mistake about this: This is a victory for President Trump and for those who wish that we can govern ourselves at home, and around the world, not simply by brute force, but by ideas and civilized norms.”
For a network and an analyst often critical of Trump, the comments were striking — a tacit admission that the president’s hands-on role in brokering a deal between Israel and Hamas had delivered concrete results.
The agreement not only secured the release of dozens of hostages but also paved the way for an end to the longest sustained period of open conflict between the two sides in recent history.
The remarks echoed similar sentiments expressed by Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who earlier in the day called Trump Israel’s “best friend” and announced his nomination for the Israel Prize — the nation’s highest honor — for his leadership in negotiating the peace deal.
For many in Washington and Jerusalem alike, the successful resolution of the hostage crisis marked both a diplomatic and moral victory, one that even longtime critics of the president could not ignore.
Meacham’s acknowledgment, delivered on a network often hostile to Trump, captured what some observers have described as a reluctant consensus: that despite deep divisions at home, Trump’s assertive foreign policy and unorthodox negotiating style had once again produced results that few thought possible.
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