Biden, Clinton praise Trump for Gaza peace deal
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Former Presidents Clinton and Biden at the White House in 2023. Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
Former Presidents Biden and Clinton praised President Trump on Monday for the Gaza peace deal he brokered between Israel and Hamas.
The big picture: Biden said on X that he's "deeply grateful and relieved" that the day had come that Hamas had freed the last 20 living hostages and Clinton issued a similar statement on the platform, saying that he's "grateful that a ceasefire has taken hold."
- Both former presidents singled out Trump for praise.
Zoom in: Biden said the "road to this deal was not easy" and that his administration "worked relentlessly to bring hostages home, get relief to Palestinian civilians" and end the war.
- "I commend President Trump and his team for their work to get a renewed ceasefire deal over the finish line," he said.
- "Now, with the backing of the United States and the world, the Middle East is on a path to peace that I hope endures and a future for Israelis and Palestinians alike with equal measures of peace, dignity, and safety."
Clinton in his X post that called for lasting peace in the region said: "President Trump and his administration, Qatar, and other regional actors deserve great credit for keeping everyone engaged until the agreement was reached."
What he's saying: The president told reporters Monday that he thought Clinton's post "was very nice, actually."
- Trump said he'd "always gotten along with him, he used to be a friend of mine, came to my wedding." He noted former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came, too, though he did not mention his 2016 Democratic presidential rival by name.
- Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios' Monday evening request for comment on Biden's post.
Of note: After last week's announcement that a Gaza peace deal had been reached, former President Obama said "we should all be encouraged and relieved that an end to the conflict is within sight" in an X post that didn't mention Trump.
- White House spokesperson Steven Cheung reposted Obama's post with the comment: "Say his name... PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP."
Go deeper: Trump to Axios: Gaza deal might be my biggest accomplishment
