{"id":2359157,"date":"2024-10-24T17:02:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T21:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-comments-about-ethnic-cleansing-leave-armenians-optimistic-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-24T17:04:36","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T21:04:36","slug":"trumps-comments-about-ethnic-cleansing-leave-armenians-optimistic-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-comments-about-ethnic-cleansing-leave-armenians-optimistic-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s comments about &#8216;ethnic cleansing&#8217; leave Armenians &#8216;optimistic&#8217; &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-comments-about-ethnic-cleansing-leave-armenians-optimistic-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2359157&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Former President Donald\u200b Trump&#8217;s recent comments regarding\u200b the\u2062 treatment of Armenian Christians by Azerbaijan have\u200d sparked\u200c cautious \u200doptimism among the Armenian diaspora. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thousands-of-israelis-protest-planned-razing-of-yeshiva-where-terror-victim-studied\/\" title=\"Thousands Of Israelis Protest Planned Razing Of Yeshiva Where Terror Victim Studied\">strong public statement<\/a>,\u2064 Trump criticized Vice President Kamala\u200d Harris for \u2064her perceived\u200c lack of action during\u200d the persecution and displacement\u200b of Armenians in the\u200d enclave of Artsakh, highlighting the need to address what\u200d he termed &#8220;ethnic cleansing.&#8221; He \u200basserted that his administration would protect persecuted Christians and aim \u200cfor peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n<p>Senator J.D. Vance and Trump&#8217;s ally Vivek \u2064Ramaswamy echoed support for Trump&#8217;s stance, with Ramaswamy emphasizing the\u200b importance of addressing foreign policy hypocrisy regarding Armenian issues. The changes \u2064in Trump&#8217;s rhetoric have \u2063been well received by many Armenian Americans, who \u200bappreciate the acknowledgment of ethnic cleansing, a \u200dterm not used in Harris&#8217;s statements.<\/p>\n<p>However,\u2064 some community members remain skeptical, recalling inaction during\u2062 the previous administration&#8217;s tenure, which coincided with the escalation of the conflict in 2020. The overall sentiment appears to\u200b lean towards cautious optimism, especially following Harris&#8217;s vague comments on Armenian rights.\u200b As the Armenian American community \u200dweighs their options in the upcoming election, many\u200d are observing how Trump&#8217;s promises will translate into real policy actions regarding ongoing conflicts in the region.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Trump&rsquo;s comments about &lsquo;ethnic cleansing&rsquo; leave Armenians &lsquo;cautiously optimistic&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1844617\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a> and his allies&rsquo; denouncement of <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/azerbaijan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Azerbaijan<\/a>&lsquo;s &ldquo;ethnic cleansing&rdquo; of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/armenia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Armenian\">Armenian<\/a> Christians has left much of the diaspora &ldquo;cautiously optimistic.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>On Wednesday, Trump issued his strongest condemnation of Azerbaijan and show of support for Armenia yet, bashing Vice President Kamala Harris for not stopping the destruction of the Armenian enclave of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Kamala Harris did NOTHING as 120,000 Armenian Christians were horrifically persecuted and forcibly displaced in Artsakh,&rdquo; he wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/113359046804685083\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"post\">post<\/a> on Truth Social. &ldquo;Christians around the World will not be safe if Kamala Harris is President of the United States. When I am President, I will protect persecuted Christians, I will work to stop the violence and ethnic cleansing, and we will restore PEACE between Armenia and Azerbaijan.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump&rsquo;s running mate, reposted the message with a further endorsement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The United States should fight against the persecution of Christians all over the world, and it will when President Trump is back in the White House,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Kamala Harris has done nothing.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The United States should fight against the persecution of Christians all over the world, and it will when President Trump is back in the White House. <\/p>\n<p>Kamala Harris has done nothing. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/OYDQ2R95r7\">pic.twitter.com\/OYDQ2R95r7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; JD Vance (@JDVance) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JDVance\/status\/1849220898198560796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Close Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy has <a href=\"https:\/\/zartonkmedia.com\/2024\/10\/07\/vivek-ramaswamy-calls-out-u-s-hypocrisy-over-silence-on-azerbaijans-aggression-leading-to-the-displacement-of-120000-armenians-in-artsakh-nagorno-karabakh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"spoken out at length\">spoken at length<\/a> regarding the situation in Artsakh, praising Trump for his stance on the conflict.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Very gratified to see President Trump speak out about the persecution &amp; displacement of Armenian Christians in Artsakh,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s our job to call out the hypocrisy of the foreign policy establishment &amp; we refuse to simply sweep this issue under the rug.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to the Azerbaijani Embassy for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/memo-indicates-biden-admin-does-not-see-border-surge-ending-soon\/\" title=\"Memo Indicates Biden Admin Does Not See Border Surge Ending Soon\">largely avoided commenting<\/a> on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict throughout the 2024 cycle, while Harris commented on it once amid criticism for U.S. inaction during the blockade and the eventual destruction of Artsakh during the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>The sudden change was greeted with jubilation by many Armenian Americans, while others viewed it with cautious optimism.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not holding my breath,&rdquo; Armenian American communications strategist Stephan Pechdimaldji&nbsp;told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> of Trump&rsquo;s comments. &ldquo;Obviously, you know, we&rsquo;ve seen this movie before, with presidential candidates promising things to the Armenian people.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Pechdimaldji said it was important to note that the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 started under the Trump administration, with &ldquo;inaction on their part to do anything about it,&rdquo; though he ceded that it was partially due to struggles with dealing with COVID-19 and the last presidential election, as the war coincided with the height of both.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But I will say that his statement goes well beyond what Harris has said when it comes to this situation,&rdquo; Pechdimaldji said. &ldquo;You know, Trump mentioned ethnic cleansing, which was a powerful statement. Harris, in her statement, I don&rsquo;t believe mentioned anything about ethnic cleansing. So from that perspective, Trump was holding Azerbaijan accountable for its actions, whereas Harris has yet to say anything about Azerbaijan.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>He described his overall attitude as &ldquo;cautiously optimistic,&rdquo; while specifically praising Ramaswamy&rsquo;s support for Armenia.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t be surprised if Vivek had a role to play in this, so that&rsquo;s very promising that Trump is surrounded by people that that are taking this situation very seriously,&rdquo; Pechdimaldji added.<\/p>\n<p>Two other key Trump allies, former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, are among the most <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">outspoken high-profile supporters<\/a> of Armenia. Gabbard was banned from Azerbaijan in 2017 after visiting Artsakh, which was considered an illegitimate separatist-occupied province.<\/p>\n<p>Pechdimaldji said that though it is too early to gauge the full reaction, he believes the Armenian American community will likely feel the same way he does.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This will be well received because Trump did mention ethnic cleansing, which is nothing the Biden or Harris administration has even yet to acknowledge, so that, in and of itself, is a big deal for us,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>On Armenian Independence Day in September, Harris issued a statement acknowledging the 1915 Armenian Genocide and showing support for the right of ethnic Armenians to return to Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I remain committed to a lasting peace between Armenia and its neighbors that respects sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The right for Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to return safely to their homes is vital to restoring dignity to the Armenian people and stability to the region.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The failure of the Biden-Harris administration to influence events between Armenia and Azerbaijan has greatly angered the Armenian diaspora in the U.S., with many going so far as to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/3160474\/harris-faces-new-uncommitted-campaign-armenian-americans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"threaten to withhold their votes in protest\">threaten to withhold their votes in protest<\/a>. With Harris appearing intent to carry on Biden&rsquo;s foreign policy, her candidacy is closely connected with his.<\/p>\n<p>No exact figures reveal the true total number of Armenians in the U.S., but estimates vary from 800,000 to 1.5 million. Most are in or near &ldquo;Little Armenia&rdquo; around Glendale,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/California\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a>, where little electoral effect can be felt.<\/p>\n<p>However, a substantial number reside in swing states, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-faces-new-uncommitted-campaign-from-armenian-americans-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Harris faces new \u2018uncommitted\u2019 campaign from Armenian Americans - Washington Examiner\">held previous races<\/a> that were only decided by thousands of votes in some cases.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>According to Pechdimaldji, there are 200,000 Armenian Americans across Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Those numbers could also serve as a force multiplier, as Armenians have a close relationship with other Mediterranean Christians, including Greeks, Assyrians, Lebanese, and Arab Christians, most of whom tend to lean more&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/liberal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">liberal<\/a>&nbsp;than the general public.<\/p>\n<p>Armenian and Greek Americans are also some of the wealthiest immigrant groups, holding outsize political power. The Armenian lobby is known to be especially powerful, mainly focusing on countering Turkey and Azerbaijan, recognizing the Armenian genocide, and supporting Armenia. It has found allies in both Republican and Democratic camps as support for Armenian interests has historically been a hodgepodge of figures from both parties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1844617\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1844617\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump&#8217;s remarks on &#8216;ethnic cleansing&#8217; make Armenians hopeful<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2653,"featured_media":2359158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Trump-and-Vance-McDonalds-scaled-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[43667,43666,20262,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2359157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-armenians","tag-ethnic-cleansing","tag-optimism","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Trump-and-Vance-McDonalds-scaled-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2653"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2359157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2359157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2359158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2359157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2359157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2359157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}