Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) said President-elect Trump will have “a Reagan moment” when he takes office as the ceasefire deal commences in the Middle East.
Waltz joined CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where he weighed in on the deal struck between Israel and Hamas nearly a year and a half after war began in Gaza.
He noted that the Trump administration, which begins Monday, will work to uphold the ceasefire deal negotiated by the Biden administration. If Hamas delays or changes the deal, the U.S. will stick by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Waltz said.
Waltz said the hostages taken by Hamas and held in captivity since Oct. 7, 2023, have been kidnapped for longer than the hostages in the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis.
“Now, we’re going to have a Reagan moment,” he said. “We are going to have President Trump being sworn in as hostages are coming out alive.”
“And that’s something we all should celebrate,” Waltz continued.
The ceasefire deal was announced by President Biden last week, as one of his last acts before leaving office.
The first three hostages were set to be released on Sunday, as part of the first phase in a three-part plan.
The third phase of the plan looks to reconstruct and rebuild Gaza, which has seen extensive destruction since the start of the war.
Waltz, who plans to resign from the House and become Trump’s national security adviser, said Sunday that Trump supported a pathway to a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine in his first administration.
