Last Saturday evening in New Jersey, the American organization Global Justice hosted Ambassador Richard Grenell as a representative of former President Donald Trump’s election campaign. The meeting gathered many prominent members of the Arab, Islamic, and Ukrainian communities in the United States.
Important discussions took place, covering many Middle Eastern issues. Grenell indicated that Trump and his team would take a renewed and firm stance against Iran and its militias. He asked the attendees to express their views on various approaches to these issues.
During the discussion, attendees emphasized to Ambassador Grenell that what matters to Syrians is U.S. support for the Syrian cause and standing with the Syrian people who called for democracy and change. As for the broader Arab and Muslim communities, their concern is Trump’s position on the Palestinian issue, especially since he previously declared his support for a two-state solution and his rejection of terrorism.
Participants also inquired about the future U.S. position on normalization with Assad. Grenell confirmed that Trump’s team is completely against any move that would support normalization with the Syrian regime. He added that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris gave the green light to countries that normalized relations with Assad and brought him back to the Arab League, telling those countries, “Do what you see fit.” However, Trump and his team view Bashar al-Assad as a “war criminal who killed his people,” and there can be no assistance to his regime except in the case of implementing a political solution, at which point reconstruction and lifting sanctions could be discussed, according to Grenell.
Grenell said, “We do not topple regimes, but we will help remove Iran from Syria in agreement with Ankara and Moscow. For this, we have conducted talks with Turkey and some active countries in the Syrian file. We are keen to achieve some interests for these parties in Syria, and we want to hear your political views on achieving political change in Syria.”
Grenell asked about the strategies that Syrians adhere to in their pursuit of regime change in Syria and how they are affected by the changes around them, stressing that Turkey, as a key NATO member, must maintain a close relationship with the United States. Participants in the discussion pointed out that Turkey has a significant issue with the U.S. support for both the PKK and PYD and their political affiliates in Syria (SDF and MSD). Turkey will not accept the continuation of the current situation, as these militias are not Syrian but are of Turkish origin and nationality, backed by some officials in the Biden administration like Brett McGurk. These are separatists aiming to establish a state in Syria.
Grenell also praised the role of Syrian Americans in U.S. politics today, noting the rise of certain individuals to high positions in decision-making centers. He expressed Trump’s campaign’s eagerness to communicate with them and strengthen common positions on issues of concern.
It is worth mentioning that Ambassador Richard Grenell, born on September 18, 1966, served as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany. He is one of the longest-serving spokespeople for Washington at the United Nations and served for a time as the national security spokesperson for Mitt Romney’s 2012 U.S. presidential campaign.
In September 2017, former President Trump nominated Grenell to be the U.S. Ambassador to Germany, a decision confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a vote of 56 to 42 on April 26, 2018.
Trump also appointed Grenell, known for his strong loyalty to him and his anti-Iran stance, as acting Director of National Intelligence. The New York Times previously reported that Grenell is considered one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters and is currently being considered for the position of Secretary of State or National Security Advisor in Trump’s second term.
