Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who traveled to Jerusalem for the opening of the new U.S. embassy Monday, applauded President Donald Trump for his action, calling it a "great day" during an interview after the ceremonies.
"I had the opportunity to be here when he announced it in Jerusalem, and I got to be here for this celebration [Monday] of the opening of the U.S. embassy," the Republican governor, who has mounted a Senate run, told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
"Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu did a great job. The ambassador here, David Friedman, did a wonderful job, and this is an historic day," Scott said.
Trump "did the right thing" by following through with his campaign commitment, Scott added. "A very exciting day."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has also called the new embassy a "long overdue" move and applauded Trump for the move. The senator sponsored legislation two years ago to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital by putting the embassy there.
"That's outstanding," Scott said. "We need less partisanship here in our federal government. We need people to work together. This is an outstanding day. I'm glad that he said that. Thank God for President Trump. He made a campaign promise; he followed through; Israel is probably one of our best, if not our best ally in the world. We have to support them."
By moving the embassy, he added, "this is telling everybody in the Middle East: America will stand with Israel. We'll fight for peace. We all believe in peace. Israel believes in peace, and I think having a strong America that stands for something is going to make sure that there is a greater chance we'll have peace. Walking away from the Iran deal was the right thing to do. The horrible deal for America and Israel."
Termed out as governor, Scott is challening incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in November's midterms.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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