India, July 15 -- President Donald Trump welcomed Iraq's new prime minister to the White House on Tuesday after strongly backing the political neophyte in his bid for office.

Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman with no political background, emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year's parliamentary elections. When al-Zaidi was formally installed as prime minister-designate in April, Trump said in a social media post that it was the "beginning of a tremendous new chapter between our Nations - Prosperity, Stability, and Success like never seen before."

But Trump's interest and involvement in the next leadership in Iraq began long before that statement. Iraq's dominant parliamentary b...