Welcome to Friday’s Washington Secrets, where we bring you our regular review of the president’s week. Did he win it or did he botch it? Our two strategists give their verdict.It was a big foreign policy week at the White House, dominated by the resumption of fighting in the Middle East and then a major set-piece address on allegations of foreign election interference.On Sunday, hundreds of U.S. strikes hit Iranian soil in the hours after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, 71, was announced. He had been one of the few hawks close to Donald Trump, and the day was devoted to tributes, including the president himself, who delivered his remembrance on Meet the Press.
The following day, Trump announced that he was reinstating the naval blockade of Iran and declared the United States to be the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz. In return, he wanted a 20% cut to reimburse the cost of providing security.On Tuesday, he hosted Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi at the White House and used the Oval Office spray to talk up plans for a primetime speech. “It doesn’t get bigger, because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country,” he said, dropping hints that there would be big news.Regular Trump watchers will not be surprised to learn that, 24 hours after announcing it, the president dropped his plan for a 20% Strait of Hormuz tariff. He said it was the result of “highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership” and promises to invest in the U.S.Trump traveled to Pennsylvania on Wednesday for a Defense and Innovation Summit in the key battleground state. Meanwhile, nominees had a rough ride on the Hill. Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer in his New York criminal case, who is now his pick to lead the Department of Justice, was asked repeatedly whether he was the president’s “friend” and could act independently. Jay Clayton, tapped to be director of national intelligence, refused to say who won the 2020 election.Thursday brought the primetime address. The president used the speech to raise doubts about past election results, saying he was releasing previously classified documents on the 2020 and 2018 elections, though analysts said he produced no evidence that votes had been manipulated. The key line was when he said Americans should expect elections to be free of cheating and interference: “Unfortunately, the system we have today falls catastrophically short of that standard.”On Friday, the president is due to turn his attention to FIFA and the World Cup. He is scheduled to fly to New York for a FIFA reception, before spending the weekend at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club and attending the World Cup final.John Zogby: Grade F
