President-elect Donald Trump clearly intends to start implementing his agenda well before Inauguration Day.

For instance, he met Friday at Mar-a-Lago with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Presumably, much of their conversation centered on Trump's threat to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canada over its failure to stop illegal immigrants and illicit drugs from flowing into the United States through the northern border. An unlikely alliance could be brewing between Trump and Trudeau, whose popularity is waning and who is facing fierce competition from Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. 

Any player on the international stage who wants to remain relevant during Trump 2.0 would be wise to follow Trudeau's lead and seek a pre-inauguration audience with the incoming president. Trump has agenda goals that extend far beyond the borders of the United States, and he's making known what those goals are.

Despite having a rocky relationship in the past, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) seems to be emerging as one of Trump's key allies in enacting the president-elect's foreign policy agenda. Graham reportedly "speaks with Trump frequently and advises him on foreign policy, especially on the Middle East," and has made it known that the new Trump administration wants action right now on the issue of a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages. 

Per this new report, Trump wants all of this to take place before Inauguration Day:

"Trump is more determined than ever to release the hostages and supports a ceasefire that includes a hostage deal. He wants to see it happening now," Graham said.

• "I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end."
• He added: "I hope President Trump and the Biden administration will work together during the transition period to release the hostages and get a ceasefire."

Graham has recently returned from his second trip this month to the Middle East, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One of the takeaways from this visit was Graham's conclusion that the Gaza situation needed to be resolved before the Trump administration could concentrate on matters like "Israel-Saudi normalization and a regional alliance against Iran."

As RedState has reported, the release of the hostages held by Hamas has long been a goal of Trump's:

One of the things on Trump's plate is the matter of the Americans who are still being held hostage in Gaza. Let's be clear: There is no doubt that bringing these hostages home is a top priority for the new Trump administration. At the Republican National Convention back in July, just a few days after being shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, the former/future president put the world on notice that the taking of hostages won't be tolerated under his watch:

“To the entire world, I tell you this: We want our hostages back, and they better be back before I assume office, or you will be paying a very big price,” Trump warned in his speech.

According to Graham, those goals remain his priority: "Trump is more determined than ever to release the hostages and supports a ceasefire that includes a hostage deal. He wants to see it happening now. I want people in Israel and in the region to know that Trump is focused on the hostages issue. He wants the killing to stop and the fighting to end."

To have this happen before Inauguration Day would require a hefty push by the Biden administration to bring about a ceasefire and hostage release. Biden has indicated he would like to make that happen, but his actions, as reported by our own Ward Clark, would seem otherwise:

In its final weeks, the Biden administration and old Joe himself - or at least, whoever is pulling the strings on the increasingly non compos mentis president - are surely making every effort to screw over America's best ally in the Middle East. In the latest news on that front, the administration on Monday released information on a list of sanctions against Israel while also announcing the pouring of $230 million in American taxpayer funds into Gaza and the West Bank.

With fifty-five days until Trump becomes president again, there's not much time left for Joe Biden to pull off what would amount to his greatest achievement during his time as president. Trump's behind-the-scene machinations might just make it happen right now, but if it doesn't, it will certainly be a top priority come January 20, 2025. 

As Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told one outlet, "The American people trust him [Trump] to lead our country and bring stability and peace back to the Middle East. When he returns to the White House, he will take the necessary action to do just that."