Trump Says US Has To Keep Netanyahu ‘A Little Bit Sane’ Amid Tensions Over Iran Deal
President Donald Trump said in a newly released interview that he has to keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a little bit sane,” while insisting he still maintains a good relationship with the Israeli leader despite growing disagreements over the Middle East.
“If it weren’t for Donald Trump — and Bibi Netanyahu worked well with me, but he will tell you, we’re the ones with the guns, we’re the ones with the whole deal, we’re the ones with the B-2 bombers, etc.,” Trump told Axios reporter Mark Caputo.
“If it weren’t for Donald Trump, Israel would have been eviscerated,” the president added.
Trump was asked whether he could keep Israel from launching additional attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and potentially jeopardizing the preliminary peace agreement with Iran.
“Yeah, I will be,” Trump replied. “They have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say.”
A central provision of the current US-Iran memorandum of understanding requires an end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Iran has publicly indicated it would not participate in the first round of detailed peace talks while fighting continued between Israel and Hezbollah.
The dispute over Lebanon reportedly contributed to the Trump administration delaying a planned trip by Vice President JD Vance to Switzerland for follow-up negotiations with Iranian officials.
Although Trump and Netanyahu have long maintained a close relationship, strains have emerged in recent weeks over the handling of the conflict involving Iran and its regional proxies.
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed reports that he had called Netanyahu “f—ing crazy” during a tense phone conversation following Israeli strikes against targets in southern Lebanon.
At the beginning of June, Trump said he had secured an agreement for Israel and Hezbollah to halt fighting, but the two sides continued exchanging fire. Last week, Trump also urged Israel not to retaliate against Iranian attacks, but Netanyahu proceeded with military action anyway.
According to reports, multiple intelligence agencies have warned the White House that Netanyahu could take actions aimed at undermining the memorandum of understanding with Iran.
Vice President Vance also delivered a public rebuke Thursday aimed at hardline members of Israel’s government.
“If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Vance said during a White House press briefing.
“Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time, and he happens to be the head of state of the world’s superpower.”
“The problem for Israel is not Donald J. Trump, and anybody in Israel who thinks their biggest problem is the president of the United States needs to wake up and smell the reality of the situation that country is in,” he added.
The relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has experienced friction before. During Trump’s first term, the president expressed frustration that Netanyahu recognized Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory and was unhappy that Israel did not participate in the operation that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
“That was going to be a joint [attack] and all of a sudden, we were told that Israel was not doing it,” Trump said in a 2024 interview. “And I was not happy about that. That was something I never forgot. And it showed me something.”
Trump also remarked in that same interview that “Bibi Netanyahu rightfully has been criticized” over the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.