President Donald Trump has signaled that, despite the tensions surrounding his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he sees himself as the one calling the shots.
The alliance between Washington and Jerusalem — and between the two leaders personally — has faced strains since the U.S. and Israel began joint strikes against Iran in late February.
In a phone conversation last month, Trump reportedly described Netanyahu as “f***ing crazy” while venting about Israel’s ongoing attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, which had complicated peace talks with Iran.
Some detractors have argued that Netanyahu pushed Trump into a war with Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said in March that the U.S. joined Israel’s operation because Israel was prepared to strike regardless, and Washington wanted to move ahead of any Iranian response. Rubio later softened that assessment.
Trump sought to clarify where things stand with Netanyahu during a phone interview Saturday with Axios. “We get along very good. [Netanyahu] knows who the boss is,” the president said.
Trump also told the outlet that Netanyahu had requested a White House meeting, which could happen as early as next week. If it goes ahead, it would mark the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since the war began.
Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister raised the request during a Friday call with Trump, in which he congratulated the president on America’s 250th anniversary.
“During their conversation, the Prime Minister said that the United States is a guarantor of global freedom, and that Israel greatly values the close relationship between the two nations,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement to Axios.
On Saturday, Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘knows who the boss is’ and that he requested an in-person meeting at the White House
Trump’s comments came as officials in his administration have expressed skepticisim over Netanyahu’s leadership, and public opinion towards Israel has declined in the US
A meeting between Trump and Netanyahu, which could happend next week, would be the first time the leaders meet in person since early February. They are pictured during that meeting
‘Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump agreed to meet soon in the United States,’ the statement continued.
Although the president said that the meeting could take place next week, he is scheduled to appear at the NATO summit in Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday, so an Israeli official said the meeting might instead take place the week after.
Netanyahu’s request for a meeting comes at a time when American public opinion towards Israel has declined tremendously among both Democrats and Republicans, and Trump administration officials have grown skeptical of Netanyahu’s leadership.
Progressive, pro-Palestinian candidates in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Colorado recently experienced landmark victories in primaries against more moderate Democratic candidates, and influential conservative voices such as Tucker Carlson have turned on Israel.
‘Many of Trump’s closest advisers think that Bibi was wrong about everything,’ a US official told Axios.
Mending the cracks in the relationship between the US and Israel is likely a key goal for Netanyahu as the Israeli election for prime minister will take place in October, and he is behind in polling.
Setting up a meeting with Trump appears to be a step towards that goal.
During Trump’s interview with Axios, he also said that he is following the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a joint US-Israeli strike on his leadership compound on the first day of the war with Iran.
The US and Israel’s relationship frayed last month after Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon disrupted peace negotiations with Iran. Vice President JD Vance is pictured during those negotiations
Trump said he has been following former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral. Enormous crowds are pictured attending the state funeral in Tehran
Trump said that the US and Iran have agreed to pause peace negotiations for a week during the funeral proceedings, but the cease-fire between the two countries will hold in the meantime.
The president maintained his stern stance against Iran, however, and threatened yet again to resume attacking the country.
‘They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with,’ Trump told Axios.
