Fred Fleitz—former National Security Council Chief of Staff and vice chair of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security—joined Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson to discuss Donald Trump’s evolving approach to the war in Ukraine, the threats posed by Hamas and Iran, and broader concerns about U.S. foreign policy under both Trump and Biden.
Fleitz defended Trump’s initial campaign rhetoric promising a quick end to the war in Ukraine, saying the effort was never going to be easy, especially given the diplomatic failures of the Biden administration. According to Fleitz, Biden’s mismanagement—particularly dangling NATO membership in front of Ukraine while ignoring Russia’s red lines—was a key factor in escalating the conflict. Trump, he said, entered the conversation trying diplomacy first, giving Putin a chance to end the war with dignity and economic opportunity. That failed, and now Trump is reportedly preparing a tougher stance, including harsh new sanctions.
Fleitz rejected the notion that Trump’s rhetoric about Putin—most recently warning the Russian leader he’s “playing with fire”—contradicts his past attempts at engagement. Instead, he argued that Trump’s approach mirrors Reagan-era realism: first offer peace, then back it with strength when necessary.
As the conversation turned to geopolitical implications beyond Ukraine, Fleitz warned that the world is closely watching how the U.S. handles Putin. While he dismissed the idea that Putin wants to expand beyond Ukraine into NATO territory, he expressed concern about possible aggression toward non-NATO countries like Georgia and Moldova. Fleitz cited recent comments from Putin suggesting that a peace agreement would need to include formal guarantees barring NATO membership for Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova—an outcome Fleitz acknowledged would be hard to accept but indicative of Putin’s goals.
Asked whether Europe could play a more proactive role, Fleitz said the EU has been quick to condemn Russia but hesitant to engage in meaningful diplomacy. He argued that Trump has tried to shift the conversation with European leaders from empty condemnations to real consequences—particularly in the form of cutting off Russian energy exports and replacing them with U.S. energy.
Fleitz also weighed in on Iran and the Biden administration’s faltering efforts to revive a nuclear deal. He said Iran has never negotiated in good faith and is simply running the same playbook it used with previous administrations: extract concessions through fake deals. Fleitz dismissed any expectation that Iran will behave differently with Trump, calling the nuclear standoff an entirely different category from the war in Ukraine, and not one likely to be resolved with diplomacy.
Shifting to the Middle East, Fleitz commented on Hamas’s opposition to civilian access to a new humanitarian aid facility in Rafah, Gaza. He said this is emblematic of Hamas’s strategy: weaponizing civilian suffering to keep political pressure on Israel while hoarding aid for itself. He echoed Israeli leaders in stating that Hamas cannot be allowed to govern Gaza in any form after the war. Though there have been signs of Gazans turning against Hamas in small protests, Fleitz described the movement as too small to change the situation on its own, though he urged the U.S. government to find ways to support those dissenting voices.
The segment wrapped with a brief discussion of Qatar, which has come under scrutiny for hosting Hamas leaders. The issue came into the spotlight again after the Qatari government gifted a plane to the U.S., which Trump accepted. Fleitz dismissed controversy over the gift, saying Qatar spends vastly more on supporting the U.S. air base at Al Udeid and that the gift does not constitute undue influence. He also noted that the Trump team used the moment to highlight the long delays in the delivery of the new Air Force One, which was originally ordered during Trump’s term but has faced years of setbacks.
Throughout the interview, Fleitz painted a picture of a world shaped by the consequences of past failures—failures Trump is trying to clean up, not create. Whether those efforts will succeed remains to be seen, but Fleitz insisted the stakes are too high not to try.