Egypt and Jordan are struggling to make themselves useful to Donald Trump
They no longer offer the promise of stability in a region that has been upended
THE FIRST time was an honour. King Abdullah of Jordan was the first Arab leader invited to meet Donald Trump at the White House in 2017. The president hailed him as a “great warrior” and promised him more aid. There was rather less bonhomie the second time around. The king sat uncomfortably on February 11th while Mr Trump talked of his plan to expel 2m Gazans to Egypt and Jordan and made a veiled threat to cut America’s roughly $1.5bn in annual aid to the kingdom.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Linchpins no longer?”
Middle East & Africa
February 22nd 2025
From the February 22nd 2025 edition
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