President Donald Trump has confirmed that he used expletive-laden language during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as previously reported by Axios. In an interview with the New York Post's Miranda Devine on the podcast "Pod Force One," Trump acknowledged the conversation but downplayed his anger.
Trump's Response
When asked by Devine if he had told Netanyahu, "Are you effing crazy? What are you effing doing? I helped you stay out of jail," Trump replied, "I did." However, he added, "I wouldn't say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon." Trump emphasized that he told Netanyahu, "Bibi, we gotta stop this. We gotta stop it."
Despite the tense exchange, Trump noted that the two leaders maintain a good relationship. "We've done well together," he said. "He always says we could never have done it, but everybody knows that we could have never done it without the United States. But we've worked very well together."
Background of the Call
Axios reported on Monday that the call was triggered by Iran threatening to withdraw from peace negotiations with the U.S. over Israel's actions against Lebanon. A U.S. official cited by Axios summarized Trump's remarks as: "You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your ass. Everybody hates you now."
In response, a senior Israeli official told N12 that the Axios report was "inaccurate" and denied certain "personal remarks" allegedly made by Trump. According to Amit Segal, chief political analyst at N12, the tense call actually centered on conflicting social media posts. "Trump felt Netanyahu implied the war was continuing at full intensity, while Netanyahu felt Trump implied a total ceasefire," Segal wrote on X.
