EXCLUSIVE: "Peacemaker-in-chief": Trump's historic Europe summit praised by Congress

President Donald Trump’s historic summit with European leaders drew bipartisan praise, from former Obama administration officials to the president’s top allies currently in office.

Several of them told the Washington Reporter that Trump’s ability to rally the western world against Russia’s Vladimir Putin while shifting billions of dollars in costs of Russia’s war with Ukraine to Europe further proves that the president should win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.), who has nominated Trump for the prestigious prize on numerous occasions, told the Reporter that the Europe summit was a “great moment for all of [the European leaders].”

For many in Congress, Trump’s summit was a stark contrast with how the White House ran under President Joe Biden.

“President Trump is once again demonstrating true American strength and leadership,” Rep. Mike Simpson (R., Idaho) told the Reporter. “We now have a President who is willing to engage and working to pursue peace, a stark difference from the previous administration.”

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) expressly said that, had Trump won in 2020, this war never would have happened.

“President Trump put on a masterclass in diplomacy between his meeting with Putin in Alaska and meeting with European leaders alongside Zelenskyy in the White House,” Stutzman said. “This conflict would have never started if Trump was President after the 2020 election. Luckily for the world, he is back in charge and making more progress towards peace than critics ever thought imaginable.”

The president, for his part, agrees with Stutzman. Trump has repeatedly blamed Biden’s weakness for Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.

Trump’s status as the “peace president” was repeatedly invoked by his congressional allies, including Sen. Eric Schmitt (R., Mo.).

“President Trump is the peace president. As world leaders have acknowledged, he is the only one who could bring multiple sets of world leaders to the table to broker a historic peace agreement and encourage our European allies to step up,” Schmitt said.

“I’m thankful for his leadership and his unwavering commitment to protecting American interests,” he added.

The White House’s balance between diplomacy and military strength received rave reviews.

“President Trump is demonstrating peace through strength, Sen. James Lankford (R., Okla.) told the Reporter. “He knows diplomacy is integral to ending this three-and-a-half-year war. That means talking with adversaries like Putin while rallying European leaders and Ukraine to chart the path toward a meaningful and lasting peace.”

Lankford added that the “Senate stands ready to work with him to get it done.”

Diplomacy is rarely easy, and what Trump is accomplishing has some in Congress frustrated with his detractors in the newly-renamed media.

“If for some reason you find yourself unmoved by the leadership, collaboration, and commitment to peace shown by President Trump, then I have some advice for you,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (R., Mich.) said. “Turn off MS whatever they are called now and try to imagine President Biden or even a President Harris on the world stage making half the progress we’ve seen in the past week. You simply can’t.”

Rep. Pat Harrigan (R., N.C.), a former Army Special Forces officer who first ran for Congress because of the Biden administration’s debacle in Afghanistan, noted to the Reporter that Trump’s diplomatic moves entrench him as the “peacemaker-in-chief.”

“President Trump’s summit in Washington marked a whirlwind of diplomacy,” Harrigan said. “Just days after meeting with Putin in Alaska, the leaders of the West stood together under unmistakable American leadership.”

“In an era of rising threats, this is the kind of strength history remembers,” he explained. “By putting America First while binding the West closer together, President Trump has charted a credible path to lasting stability. Blessed are the peacemakers, and he has once again proven himself the peacemaker-in-chief.”

What comes next following the meeting is uncertain, but lawmakers like Rep. Celeste Maloy (R., Utah) are optimistic.

“It looks like we are on the path toward ending the war in Ukraine and establishing lasting stability in Europe, thanks to President Trump’s efforts,” she said. “Peace is the goal we all agree on, so we all have reason to celebrate this progress.”

Rep. Rick Crawford (R., Ark.), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, commented to the Reporter, “if President Trump has shown the world anything since returning to office, it’s that he is a peacemaker and committed to helping achieve peaceful outcomes around the world, without inserting the U.S. military into the conflicts. He is uniquely suited to help facilitate a solution to this conflict, which has gone on far too long and claimed far too many lives. We saw that this week when President Trump convened these top European leaders to advance the goal of peace in a remarkable show of force. President Trump is a savvy dealmaker. He knows who at the negotiating table should be trusted and who should be approached with caution.”

Rep. Laurel Lee (R., Fla.) told the Reporter that “President Trump’s meetings with European leaders this past week showed strong, decisive leadership on the world stage.”

“He made clear that America will always stand firm with our allies, while also holding them accountable to do their part,” Lee said. “That’s the kind of diplomacy that strengthens our partnerships, protects our interests, and makes our country safer.”

Saul Anuzis, the President of the International Institute, told the Reporter that “no other president has averaged one peace deal a month.”

“What we’re seeing from Trump is that, while he wants peace, he wants to make sure he gets his ducks in a row first — and that’s exactly what he’s been doing with Putin,” Anuzis said. “Look at how he boxed Putin out with the recent peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia; now he’s bringing the Europeans along.”

“That’s exactly what we need,” he added.