New York Times: Thomas Friedman… Assessment of Trump’s two terms in office and what he accomplished

Thomas Friedman, revealed in his recent article in the New York Times, the fundamental difference between President Trump’s first and second terms.

Evidence and facts indicate that the second term of US President Donald Trump is fundamentally different from the first in terms of the nature of decisions and the speed of their implementation, as the president is surrounded by a team that amplifies his ideas rather than refines them.

Friedman explained that in his first term, Trump was surrounded by advisers who limited his ideas, while now he is surrounded by magnificent people who amplify these ideas and turn them into immediate policies.

He gave an example of this shift, as in his first term, Trump may hear a passing proposal about getting the Palestinians out of Gaza, and his chief of staff comes to advise him to think first before making a decision.

In a related context, Friedman highlighted the very different reality of the second term, highlighting that now Trump goes straight to the White House after hearing any idea, and finds a team that amplifies and enlarges it instead of refining it, and then immediately publishes it as an official plan without any review or scrutiny.

Friedman described the president as working with his own policies, which make him able to make unimaginable deals with previous presidents, such as allowing his aides or son-in-law Jared Kushner to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.

On September 29, 2025, Trump announced what he called a 20-point peace plan, which included the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas, before announcing an agreement on the first phase of it on October 9, 2025.

Friedman presented both the positive and negative aspects of these special policies, explaining that the positive is the ability to achieve unconventional breakthroughs, while the negative is the instability and rapid boredom of follow-up and full implementation of agreements.

In terms of practical examples, Friedman stated that Trump was able to accomplish the first phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, which is an important and influential achievement.

But the first phase of the Gaza agreement is based on ambiguity, so each side accepts its own interpretation of the agreement.

Trump’s plan in the Gaza Strip faces tensions that can only be balanced by the ability of the United States to rein in Israel so that its outcomes don’t fail, Friedman says.

Although the ceasefire has been in place since October 10, 2025, Israeli violations have continued at a high pace, resulting in at least 250 Palestinians killed.

But Friedman points out that reaching the second stage of a Palestinian state requires clarity and significant concessions from both sides, which raises doubts about Trump’s commitment to it.

On the other hand, Friedman addressed the US relationship with the Middle East, stressing that America hasn’t abandoned the region and cannot afford it.

He noted that there are 3 types of Middle East in American thinking: Israel as a traditional strategic ally.

Friendly Arab countries such as Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Egypt.

Friedman highlighted the shifting balance of power in the region, where in the past US partnerships were centered on Jordan and Egypt, but today they have shifted to the Gulf states.

He stressed that if there is an opportunity for a real breakthrough in terms of peace between Israel, Palestine and neighboring countries, the Trump administration will immediately engage to make history.

In his vision of the road map to peace, Friedman believes that the region needs regime change in three places: Tehran, Tel Aviv, and the Palestinian Authority, expressing his conviction that different leaders in these three places will inevitably lead to a different peace.

In terms of America’s internal transformations, Friedman saw Trump as the product of a historic period that witnessed a dramatic change in speed.

He explained that the American citizen has witnessed radical transformations in the way we work, moral values and social sentiments over the past 25 years, and Trump came to say that he can stop these winds of change.

Trump’s construction of this wall served two main duties: to strengthen the division between majority and minority, and to embody Trump’s center of power.

But Trump’s weakness, according to Friedman, is that he doesn’t follow the rules, which the majority rejected in the last election, which showed that people want to stick to the Constitution and don’t like the do what you want pattern.

Finally, Friedman concluded with a special description of President Trump, saying that “God created one unique model from him,” stressing that America has never had a president like him, and expressing his hope that there will be no other like him in the future.