The Note: Trump makes historic trip to Israel
Trump has arrived in Israel for the next leg of his foreign trip.
-- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY
THE TAKE with ABC News’ RICK KLEIN
He’s both making history and breaking promises. And all he’s trying to is both solve Middle East peace and salvage his presidency. Even for President Trump, the split-screens that will define the week will be jarring. He will be abroad while the Russia scandal, his domestic agenda, and the political fallout of all of that play out back home (keep an eye on Thursday’s special election in Montana). The president is consistent in his inconsistencies, whether it’s breaking a promise to label “radical Islamic terrorism” or not to cut Medicaid, or touting donations from the Saudis. It’s the Trump improvisational style on the national and international stage – and it carries with it the hope that the public will not just forgive but follow along. “I think the president’s views, like we hope the American people’s views, are going to continue to evolve,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said en route to Israel. It’s a go-big-or-go-home approach to policy. As for home, this is the kind of swirl the president has thrived on – unless, of course, it subsumes his presidency.
ANALYSIS: TRUMP EMBRACES -- AND CHALLENGES -- THE MUSLIM WORLD
“The images were striking and so were the words, including the words that were not said. There was Donald Trump standing before leaders of about 50 Muslim nations -- the same Donald Trump who, as a candidate, declared, “I think Islam hates us” and who proposed a “total and complete shutdown” that would have prohibited every person in that audience from stepping foot in the United States.” ABC's Jonathan Karl: http://abcn.ws/2qIilGY
THE SLEEPER STORY with ABC News’ Shushannah Walshe
Remember those campaign promises not to cut Medicaid? Well, expect to be reminded about them this week. That’s because the president’s budget is expected to be released tomorrow and it will include $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid, according to media reports. It won’t just be Democrats fighting the move, but so will those Trump-supporting Republicans in red states who rely on the coverage. That’s because this is a clear broken campaign promise from Trump. It’s easy to look back at the president’s tweets to see how he promised to be the “first & only potential GOP candidate to state there will be no cuts to Social Security. Medicare & Medicaid.” He also tweeted the “Republicans who want to cut SS & Medicaid are wrong. A robust economy will Make America Great Again!” One thing we can expect? The president’s opponents will look to make those hurt by this broken promise heard loud and clear.
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY
President Trump will be the first sitting president to visit the Western Wall.
President Trump will give remarks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tonight, following their meeting.
NEED TO READ with ABC News’ Adam Kelsey
What to expect from Trump’s trip to Israel. When President Trump lands in Tel Aviv on Monday, he'll arrive with one goal: kick-starting the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. http://abcn.ws/2qLxTd7
Trump calls on Middle Eastern nations to ‘drive out’ extremists. In his first high-stakes speech abroad, President Trump called on Middle Eastern nations to “drive out” extremists. “The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their country and, frankly, for their families and for their children,” Trump said. http://abcn.ws/2pXWdt1
How Trump's planned visit to the Western Wall spurred controversy. President Trump's plan to become the first sitting U.S. president to visit the Western Wall has been welcomed by Israeli government officials. Not as pleasing to Israeli leaders, however, were comments by a junior U.S. official that the Western Wall is not in Israeli territory. http://abcn.ws/2pZBt4b
McMaster won't say if Trump confronted Russians about election interference. President Donald Trump's national security adviser declined to say if the president confronted Russian officials about the country's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election during a meeting at the White House earlier this month, telling ABC's George Stephanopoulos "there already was too much that's been leaked from those meetings." http://abcn.ws/2rGL1x0
WHO’S TWEETING?
@devindwyer: "Shalom!" @realDonaldTrump tells #Israel at arrival ceremony. "I have come to the sacred & ancient land to reaffirm an unbreakable bond."
@alivitali: Red carpet banter, overheard: Trump: "What is the protocol do you have any idea?” Netanyahu: "I think they'll just tell us where to stand."
@PhilipRucker: Trump in Tel Aviv, overheard as he meets-and-greets Bibi’s Cabinet: “My Supreme Court judge, that was a good one.” “You’ll like Ivanka.”
@chrislhayes: OK, not super important but still: what was the actual deal with the orb?
@anniekarni: Trump said "Islamic" rather than "Islamist." Senior admin official just told us it was not on purpose. Just “an exhausted guy.”