Trump awards rare honor to emir of Kuwait

At press briefing after meeting a Kuwaiti delegation, US President Donald Trump said that "seven or eight countries" may be in line for normalization with Israel.

Adam Lucente
Adam Lucente
Sep 18, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 07: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Amir Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah of Kuwait in the Oval Office of The White House September 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. The two leaders are scheduled to conduct a joint news conference, following meetings and a working luncheon. (Photo by Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Emir Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah of Kuwait in the Oval Office of The White House, Washington, Sept. 7, 2017. — Chris Kleponis-Pool/Getty Images

After a White House ceremony honoring the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, US President Donald Trump said that 'seven or eight countries' want to be part of the trend toward normalization with Israel.

Trump added that Kuwait is "excited" about regional developments and "fairly quickly" will be a part of it.

Kuwait is understood to be cautious on normalization at this time, and has so far made no official statement after Trump's comments. 

Trump made his remarks at a White House press briefing after meeting with a Kuwaiti delegation where he presented the Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to the emir. 

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