Trump team on damage control after Huckabee comments on Israel

Senior administration officials have called Arab officials to explain that a Huckabee comment that Israel can control much of the Middle East did not signal a policy shift.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is seen during an interview in Jerusalem on Aug. 20, 2025. | Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

Senior Trump administration officials have called around to several Arab countries in recent days to mollify their concerns after Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee claimed Israel has a right to control much of the Middle East.

In the discussions, officials including Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker and others, have explained to concerned countries that Huckabee’s assertion in a podcast interview with Tucker Carlson reflects his personal views and is not a shift in administration policy, according to three people familiar with outreach, who were granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic discussions.

The State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

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