By Bryan E. Leib, JNS
Trump 2.0 has resumed strategic cooperation that defined his first term, ensuring that Israel maintains its Qualitative Military Edge (QME) in the region.
As the first 50 days of President Donald Trump’s return to the White House unfold, one thing is clear: He meant every word of his campaign pledges when it comes to standing with Israel, defending Jewish students, rooting out radicalism and putting maximum pressure on the Iranian regime.
For Jewish Americans and Israel’s allies worldwide, these past few weeks have been a welcome course correction after years of weakness and indecision from Washington.
From day one, Trump reaffirmed that the U.S.-Israel alliance is unbreakable. Unlike the previous administration, which engaged in moral equivocation and dangerous concessions to Israel’s adversaries, Trump has reinstated a bold pro-Israel policy. His administration has resumed military and strategic cooperation that defined his first term, ensuring that Israel maintains its Qualitative Military Edge in the region.
Trump has made it clear that there will be no daylight between Washington and Jerusalem. His administration has reaffirmed support for Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas and Hezbollah, and is holding the Palestinian Authority accountable for incitement and pay-for-slay policies. The diplomatic gains secured during his first term, including the 2020 Abraham Accords, are being reinvigorated with new efforts to bring additional Arab nations into the fold of peace with Israel.
The battle against antisemitism in America, particularly on college campuses, has taken on new urgency. The past few years saw an explosion of anti-Jewish hostility masquerading as “anti-Zionism” with pro-Hamas demonstrations erupting at universities across the country. Trump, true to his campaign promises, wasted no time in deploying the full force of the federal government to combat this threat. He appointed civil rights attorney and Fox News contributor Leo Terrell to lead the newly established Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. The task force, operating under the Department of Justice, prioritizes eradicating antisemitic harassment, particularly within educational institutions.
Serving as the senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights, Terrell brings a robust background in legal advocacy to this role. He emphasized the administration’s commitment to fighting hate in schools, stating that no one should feel unsafe or unwelcome on campus because of their religion. His appointment underscores the administration’s dedication to protecting Jewish students and upholding civil rights nationwide.
The U.S. Department of Education has begun investigating universities that failed to protect Jewish students from harassment and intimidation, leveraging Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to hold academic institutions accountable. Unlike the weak responses of the past, the Trump administration is making it clear: Colleges that foster antisemitic environments will face serious consequences, including the potential loss of federal funding.
This decisive action stands in stark contrast to the inaction of the previous administration, which allowed antisemitism to fester under the guise of “free speech.” Jewish students can now feel a renewed sense of security knowing that their government will no longer turn a blind eye to the vitriol and threats they face daily.
One of the most controversial yet necessary policies Trump pledged during his campaign was the deportation of noncitizens who expressed support for Hamas and similar groups. Within weeks of taking office, his administration moved aggressively to identify and remove foreign nationals involved in pro-terror demonstrations and organizations.
Critics may call this policy extreme, but it is, in fact, common sense. Those who celebrate terrorism and call for the destruction of Israel, or the United States, have no place in America. Trump’s enforcement measures send a powerful message: America will not be a safe haven for radical extremists. This policy aligns with his broader commitment to ensuring that the United States remains a nation that stands with Israel, not with its enemies.
Perhaps the most consequential reversal of the previous administration’s foreign policy has been Trump’s immediate reinstatement of maximum economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran. Within his first days back in office, Trump reimposed the full range of sanctions lifted or weakened under former President Joe Biden, with the goals of crippling the Iranian economy and limiting its ability to fund terror proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.
Unlike the disastrous appeasement strategy pursued in recent years, Trump understands that Iran must be confronted with strength, not rewarded with financial windfalls. The return to a "maximum pressure" campaign is showing results, with Iran struggling to sustain its regional terror operations and facing growing domestic unrest.
For those who feared that pro-Israel and pro-Jewish rhetoric on the campaign trail would fade into empty promises, these first weeks should be reassuring to all. Promises were made, and Trump is proving—once again—that they will be kept.
