Monday, President Trump’s pen was very busy signing 3 executive orders, withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans Pacific Partnership, defunding International Planned Parenthood, and freezing the hiring of federal workers.
His phone was also very busy. He made a supportive call to Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, indicating essentially military aide would continue to support the regional fight against Islamic extremist terrorists.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that Trump and President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi discussed ways to deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries, fight terrorism and boost Egypt’s struggling economy….Egypt is the second largest recipient of U.S. military aid.
The Egyptian press offered a few details of the dialogue, including plans for a state visit in the near future.
…Trump told El-Sisi his administration is committed to maintaining the US’s annual military aid to Egypt.El-Sisi stressed to Trump Egypt’s commitment in the fight against terrorism despite economic burdens the country faced in the past three years.Meanwhile, Trump reiterated to the Egyptian president his appreciation for the difficulties Egypt endured in the fight against terrorism, and commended El-Sisi on the country’s economic reform program.The two presidents affirmed their belief in the strategic nature of the relationship between Cairo and Washington.Egypt annually receives $1.3 billion in military aid from the United States.Trump told El-Sisi he was looking forward to the Egyptian president’s visit to Washington, which is in the planning stages, the spokesman said.
Sisi was the second foreign leader that Trump called after he was formally inaugurated, after Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. This action signals a much warmer and closer relationship between the two nations. Legal Insurrection readers will recall Obama snubbed Sisi, by failing to meet with when when both heads-of-state participating in the United Nations General Assembly’s 70th meeting.
We had been reporting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been aggressively pursuing enhanced relations with Egypt, offering a significant amount of military aide. Now, Sisi continues to reach out to Western powers, including a Canadian delegation to discuss promoting religious tolerance in his nation.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told a visiting Canadian parliamentary delegation on Saturday that his country is eager to change the popular discourse on religion, moving away from extremist interpretations and the prejudice these provoke against religion, state news agency MENA reported….The president said he is also keen to promote values of tolerance, coexistence and acceptance of the other.El-Sisi discussed with the delegation the government’s latest efforts to create jobs and improve conditions for foreign investment.The president spoke on Egypt’s efforts to combat terrorism, emphasising the need for international cooperation to eradicate the problem, which he said threatens all countries.
As I predicted in my previous post, Egypt’s President endured Obama SmartPower™ antics until Jan. 20, 2017. However, I don’t think he dared dream that Trump would act so quickly after that date.
I can’t wait to see what else Trump’s Pen & Phone do the remainder of the week.
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