President Trump responded to the Axios report released on Tuesday that claimed he had a heated phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
As WLT Report previously reported, Axios reported in the phone call, President Trump told Netanyahu that he was “f*cking crazy” for his recent military escalations in Lebanon.
Trump also told Netanyahu that he would be in prison if it weren’t for him.
Now, in a newly released interview with New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, President Trump confirmed the report as accurate.
The Hill provided the full scoop on Trump’s response to the Axios report of him having a heated exchange with Netanyahu:
President Trump confirmed he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “f—king crazy” during a heated phone conversation earlier this week, citing frustrations with Israel’s military operations in Lebanon that are complicating efforts to secure a peace agreement with Iran.
“I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump said in an interview released Wednesday with the New York Post’s “Pod Force One,” confirming earlier reporting by Axios about the profane conversation.
Israel’s attacks against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon have stalled negotiations between Washington and Tehran to bring an end to the more than three-month war in Iran. The regime has insisted Israel stop its military campaign against Hezbollah before a deal can be reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or reform Iran’s nuclear program.
The president added that he and Netanyahu have nevertheless “worked very well together.”
“I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” Trump told host Miranda Devine. “I’m a wartime president. He’s a wartime prime minister.”
Trump also warned Netanyahu that following through on threats to strike Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, would further isolate Israel from the rest of the world, a U.S. official familiar with the conversation told Axios.
Watch Trump discuss the call here:
Read the original report by Axios here:
President Trump lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s escalation in Lebanon in an expletive-laden call on Monday, two U.S. officials and a third source briefed on the call told Axios.
Earlier on Monday, Iran threatened to abandon the negotiations with the U.S. over Israel’s actions in Lebanon.
On the call, Trump called Netanyahu “crazy” and accused him of ingratitude, according to two of the sources. He also put the brakes on Israel’s plan to strike Beirut.
One U.S. official said Trump told Netanyahu that following through on his threats to bomb the Lebanese capital would further isolate Israel around the world.
Two of the sources said Trump claimed he’d helped keep Netanyahu out of jail — a reference to his support during Netanyahu’s corruption trial.
Summarizing Trump’s remarks to Netanyahu, the U.S. official said: “You’re fucking crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
A second source briefed on the call said Trump was “pissed” and at one point yelled at Netanyahu: “What the fuck are you doing?”
The U.S. official said Trump knew Hezbollah had been shooting at Israel and that Israel needed to defend itself, but felt in recent days that Netanyahu was escalating in a disproportionate way.
ADVERTISEMENT
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!