President Trump summed up a central reason for declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel — one of the most consequential and globally risky decisions of his presidency — in a single statement. In his view, he is the president who pushes through toward “historic” change while those around him urge equivocation. And he is the president who tallies “promises kept.”Especially important are promises to the voters Trump sees as his base, who include a strong majority of evangelical Christians. Even President George W. Bush, who identified closely with the evangelical movement, signed waivers to allow the embassy to remain in Tel Aviv. A White House official said Pence was among those who advocated strongly for the Jerusalem declaration during a high-level meeting with Trump last week.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 06, 2017 22:30 UTC