Former President Donald Trump has verified that he used harsh language to describe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a recent phone conversation, specifically calling the Israeli leader “crazy” amid discussions about military operations in Lebanon.
During a Wednesday interview on the “Pod Force One” podcast, Trump was questioned about whether he had used profanity when speaking to Netanyahu and criticized him for being ungrateful, referencing an earlier Axios news report.
“I did,” Trump confirmed. “I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon, you know.”
Despite the heated exchange, Trump emphasized that his relationship with Netanyahu remains positive.
The Axios report, which referenced an unnamed U.S. official, detailed Trump’s Monday phone call with Netanyahu where he allegedly 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.”
Trump elaborated on the conversation during his interview: “At some point, I said, Bibi, we got to stop this. We got to stop it.”
When asked about the reported conversation, Netanyahu chose not to discuss specifics but maintained that his relationship with Trump remains unchanged.
“We have common goals. Sometimes we have, as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements,” Netanyahu stated during a Wednesday CNBC interview.
“He’s been the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House, and he respects me; I respect him. We always find a way to work out our differences.”
Iran has indicated it will not accept any agreement with the United States to conclude the conflict that Trump and Netanyahu initiated in late February without including a ceasefire for Lebanon, which Israel entered in March while pursuing the Iran-supported Hezbollah militia that launched attacks across the border in support of Tehran.
Fighting has persisted despite a U.S.-brokered agreement announced Monday that resulted in Israel reducing attacks on Hezbollah-controlled areas in southern Beirut, while the Iran-backed organization ceased cross-border attacks.
Israeli drone attacks resulted in at least six deaths in southern Lebanon and targeted a vehicle south of Beirut on Wednesday, according to Lebanese security sources. Israel reported intercepting a hostile aircraft believed to be launched by Hezbollah.
Trump reacted defensively when questioned whether Netanyahu had “tricked” him into attacking Iran, calling his critics “the enemy.”
“I mean, I’m the one that started it,” Trump responded. “I started because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
“Now that pertains to Israel, because they probably would have been the first one to get hit. There would be no Israel. Tell you what, if there wasn’t me, there would be no Israel right now.”
Trump argued that Israel’s situation would be significantly worse if he had not withdrawn from a 2015 agreement negotiated by President Barack Obama and other world leaders with Iran, where Tehran committed to limiting its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Following Trump’s 2018 withdrawal from that agreement during his first presidency, Iran accumulated stockpiles of near-weapons-grade highly enriched uranium, which Trump now insists it must surrender. Trump’s opponents argue that Iran is now closer to developing nuclear weapons, making it more difficult for Trump to secure a better agreement.
Trump has previously used profanity regarding Israel, including publicly stating last year that Israel and Iran “don’t know what the fuck they are doing.”
