Video: Top Democrats try stealing credit from Trump over Israel, Hamas peace deal

Former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Antony Blinken both attempted to take some of the credit on Monday for the ceasefire agreement, hostage release, and peace deal President Donald Trump negotiated between Israel and Hamas. 

In a Monday post on X, formerly Twitter, Biden wrote, “I am deeply grateful and relieved that this day has come – for the last living 20 hostages who have been through unimaginable hell and are finally reunited with their families and loved ones, and for the civilians in Gaza who have experienced immeasurable loss and will finally get the chance to rebuild their lives.”

“The road to this deal was not easy. My Administration worked relentlessly to bring hostages home, get relief to Palestinian civilians, and end the war,” Biden added. “I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line.”

Blinken suggested on Saturday that the president’s peace deal in the Middle East was “adopted and built on” the Biden administration’s efforts in the Middle East. 

While Blinken acknowledged that Trump, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, deserve “collective thanks” for negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, he claimed that Trump “adopted and built on the plan the Biden administration developed after months of discussion with Arab partners, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”

The former secretary of state also took credit for the Biden administration securing the release of 135 hostages and achieving a temporary ceasefire in January with a “post conflict plan for a permanent end to hostilities.” Blinken added that the Biden administration’s efforts were “squandered” prior to the recent peace deal. 

During a press gaggle on Air Force One, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump about Blinken and other Biden administration officials attempting to take credit for the Middle East peace deal. 

In response, Trump told Doocy, “Everybody knows it’s a joke. Look, they did such a bad job. This should have never happened. This wouldn’t have even happened. That was weak leadership.”

“And the same thing with Russia-Ukraine, Trump added. “If just a decent president — not a great president like me — if a decent president were in, you wouldn’t have had the Russia-Ukraine (war). And this I would say even more so. This was bad policy by Biden and by Obama.”

Asked what he did differently than Biden to end the war between Israel and Hamas, Trump said, “I resonated with the Arab leaders, the Muslim leaders, and the Jewish leaders for whatever reason.”