Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says President Trump’s views on Islam “continue to evolve.”
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One as the president arrived in Israel on Monday, Tillerson was asked if Trump still believes Islam “hates us,” as he said during the campaign.
“I think the president’s views like we hope the American people’s views, are going to continue to evolve,” Tillerson said.
“And I think an important part of this trip, one of the takeaways, my observations — again I hope it’s something that translates back, not just to the American people but to the Muslim world as well — we need to put a lot more effort into understanding one another better,” he said.
Tillerson added: “Understanding each other’s cultures, understanding each other’s beliefs, and I think talking more openly about those, I think there’s a great deal that’s misunderstood about the Muslim world, by Americans and the Western world.”
The secretary of state said Trump “is increasing his own perspectives. Nothing helps you learn and understand people better than coming to their homes, where they live and seeing them face to face, seeing their families, and seeing their communities, finding out we all share the same wants and desires for ourselves and our people, and our families: peace, prosperity, we want our children to grow up without fear. That’s such a strongly held view around the world, certainly among the Muslim world certainly among the non-Muslim world.”
Trump is meeting with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during the two-day visit.
Trump left the United States on Friday. He spent the last two days in Saudi Arabia, where he delivered a speech to Muslim leaders in Riyadh.
“We have the opportunity to advance the peace discussions between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” Tillerson said.
“I think the president has indicated he’s willing to put his own personal efforts into this. If the Israelis and the Palestinian leadership are ready to be serious about engaging as well. So that is going to be an important element of the visit,” he said.
Trump’s arrival comes a week after reports that Trump shared intelligence, provided by Israel, on ISIS to Russian officials during a recent Oval Office meeting. Asked if Trump will apologize, Tillerson said: “I don’t know that there’s anything to apologize for.”
“To the extent the Israelis have any questions, or clarification, I’m sure we’re happy to provide that,” he said.
Asked about another controversy back home — Trump’s reported remarks to the Russians that firing FBI director James Comey has eased pressure on him about Russia — Tillerson said: “It’s had no effect on my dealings with Russia. What I think the president was saying to the Russian guest that day, the Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov, is ‘look I have these issues at home domestically, I’m not going to let those issues get in the way of the important work that we have to do to address many differences that exist between the U.S. and Russia.'”
