ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – US President Donald Trump late Friday reiterated his endorsement of Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, describing their relationship as “very strong, very powerful,” while criticizing a previous Iraqi leader whom he said "we didn't like."

Zaidi was nominated for the post on Monday by the parliament’s largest bloc, the Shiite Coordination Framework, after months of internal strife. He is seen as a compromise figure and is relatively unknown in the Iraqi political sphere.

On Thursday, Trump and Zaidi held a phone call that showcased a degree of US approval for Zaidi's candidacy, coming after US pressure played a decisive factor in scuppering former premier Nouri al-Maliki's bid for the post.

“I congratulate the new president of Iraq. I endorsed him,” Trump said during a late Friday speech, erroneously referring to the premiership candidate as "president."

"I endorsed him. I'm now in the business of endorsing political leaders from foreign countries, countries that nobody's ever seen before," he continued. "I just spoke to him yesterday, but the relationships we have, we have relationships that are very, very strong, very powerful relationships, and I think the Middle East is going to be taken care of."

US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his support for Iraq's Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, erroneously referring to him as "president," saying that they opted to endorse "somebody that not a lot of people have heard of" and that Zaidi secured the nomination "in… pic.twitter.com/0ZndyGjkms

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"I endorse the man because we didn't like the man that was the president of Iraq, and we endorse somebody that not a lot of people have heard of, and he won in a landslide."

It is unclear if who Trump is referring to as "the man that was the president of Iraq" is incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani or former premier Nouri al-Maliki, the latter of whom the US president vociferously rejected when he emerged as the Coordination Framework's leading prime ministerial candidate folliowing Iraq's November parliamentary elections.

In late January, Trump issued a stark warning that Washington would no longer support Iraq should Maliki assume the position, criticizing his "insane policies and ideologies."

Trump further stressed that Baghdad “descended into poverty and total chaos” the last time Maliki was in charge. 

Maliki previously served two terms as prime minister from 2006 to 2014, stepping down during his second term amid major security setbacks linked to the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS) and ongoing corruption allegations.

Deeply concerning to US officials at the time was the proliferation of Iranian influence in the country during Maliki's tenure, which manifested in the growing nexus of Iran-aligned groups that were deemed by Washington to be acting as proxies for Tehran.

Zaidi is notably the former chairman of a bank that has been under US sanctions since 2024 over allegations of money laundering, fraud, and the illegal use of US dollars. 

The prime minister-designate must present a cabinet to parliament within 30 days of his designation.