‘F*ck him’: Trump angry with Netanyahu, saying he saved Israel from destruction

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Former U.S. president Donald Trump lashed out at former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Israeli leader’s greeting to U.S. President Joe Biden after it won the presidency last year in statements published on Friday.

In comments released Friday, Trump said Netanyahu’s message to Biden came very quickly after announcing the election results, results he continues to fight for to this day.

“She is very early. Like earlier than most. I haven’t talked to him since. Fuck him, ”Trump said in an interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid.

Netanyahu was really late in congratulating Biden in November last year, notably doing so long after many other world leaders.

Trump spoke with Ravid in April and July for the Israeli reporter’s new Hebrew-language book, “Trump’s Peace,” about normalization deals between Israel and Arab states, which were brokered with the help of the Trump administration.

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The book will be released on Sunday, and the Yediot Ahronot newspaper released excerpts from the interview on Friday.

Trump’s denial of Biden’s election victory led him to boycott his inauguration. It also led to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters, in which the House impeach the former president for the second time.

Ravid writes for the Walla news site in Israel and the Axios news site in the US.

Speaking to Ravid, the former president said that no one helped Netanyahu more than him, and therefore he considered it a betrayal when Netanyahu congratulated Biden on his election victory, even though Trump wrongly said that the election was stolen.

“Nothing has been done for Bibi yet. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi, “Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. He’s the” man I’ve done more than anyone I’ve ever faced. “

“But I also want loyalty. The first person to greet Biden was Bibi. And not only did he greet her, he did it on tape. And it’s on tape.

“I was personally disappointed in him,” he said. “Bibi can keep quiet. He made a big mistake. “

Trump said his decision to halt the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran – which the current administration is looking to return – was “because of my relationship with Israel.”

And he said that if he hadn’t done that, “I think Israel would have been destroyed by now.”

“Now Biden is going back to the deal because he has no idea. The Israelis opposed this deal and Obama didn’t listen to them. The decision to back out of the deal was because of my relationship with Israel – not with Bibi. That’s how I feel. for Israel. ”

Trump also said he saved Netanyahu in the Israeli election in April 2019 by recognizing the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. That election was the first of four uncertain national polls in two years of political turmoil until Netanyahu was removed from power by the current government.

“I did it right before the election, which helped him a lot … he would have lost the election if it wasn’t for me. So he tied up. He climbed hard after I did that. He went up by 10 points or 15 points after I made the Golan Heights. ”

US president Donald Trump (L) greets visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, March 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Trump’s statements in the interview backed up the reporting of U.S. journalist Michael Wolff, who wrote in his account of Trump’s presidency that he considered Netanyahu’s message to Biden “ultimate betrayal.”

Trump was angry with aides that Netanyahu greeted Biden “before the ink dried.” Wolff’s book, “Landslide: The Final Days of the Trump Presidency,” was published in July.

Trump refused to admit defeat, made unsubstantiated allegations of serious fraud and vowed to file his case in the courts, actions that ultimately prompted his followers to raid the U.S. Capitol building in an attempt. prevent certification of Biden’s election victory.

Trump’s apparent anger came despite Netanyahu being one of the last major world leaders to greet Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

After a notably long break, Netanyahu released a statement on his personal Twitter account on November 8, 2020 at 7 am in Israel (midnight EST), more than 12 hours after the U.S. media network called the presidency for Biden.

Congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris. Joe, we have had a long and warm personal relationship for almost 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel. I look forward to working with you two to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel.

– Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) November 8, 2020

Analysts pointed out that in his tweets and subsequent comments to the cabinet, Netanyahu did not address Biden as the “elected president” and did not explicitly say that the former Delaware vice president and senator had won the election.

In the second tweet, he thanked Trump “for the friendship you have shown to the state of Israel and to me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for historic peace agreements and for bringing of the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights. “

Netanyahu has developed a close relationship with Trump and his administration, which has reversed decades of U.S. policy by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, and removing opposition to the Israeli settlement building. in the West Bank.

Netanyahu’s close ties with Trump and Republicans in his corner have led to concerns of a loss of bipartisan support for Israel in Washington.

The fact that Netanyahu took 12 hours after all major American networks expected Biden to defeat Trump – and long after most world leaders did – is a source of concern for some.

Yair Lapid, the leader of the opposition at the time and now foreign minister, was the first Israeli politician to greet Biden. He had previously said it was “cowardly and shameful” that the country’s top leadership had remained silent, and “hurt Israel’s interests.”

Since ousting Netanyahu, Lapid and his coalition partner Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have made the restoration of bipartisan US support a key diplomatic goal.

Trump still wields considerable influence in the Republican party despite his election defeat. Asked if he may try to run again in 2024, the former president said: “We’ll see, I might have a second term. Let’s see what happens. I’m not making any plans. “

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