There was a time, not so long ago, that people in Israel truly loved Donald Trump. One year and one month ago, hostage families gathered in an auditorium near the center of Tel Aviv to plead for the release of their loved ones. Their suffering was visible to all who came to listen. They spoke in English, not Hebrew, and held up photos of their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and spouses still being held by Hamas in Gaza. They begged for their freedom.
“We won’t feel free until they all return,” one said. “I want my son back,” said another. They were not addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom many privately despised. They were pleading with U.S. President Donald Trump, on that day marking 100 days of his second term. To the hostage families, Trump was the only leader who could save their loved ones.
Trump often boasted about his popularity in Israel. “I’m right now at 99% in Israel,” he would say. “I could run for prime minister!” But that was then, and this is now. Just over one year later, all of the hostages are home, and Donald Trump is no longer venerated as he once was.
Trump's Iran Deal Criticized as Catastrophic
David Horovitz, award-winning founding editor of the Times of Israel, said out loud what many Israelis now think. The reported terms of Trump’s Iran deal “would confirm the war as an epochal failure,” read the headline on his column. “Its reported terms, quite apart from being humiliating for him, are nothing short of catastrophic,” wrote Horovitz.
The despotic Iranian regime remains in power and is to be compensated for its losses. The murderous Islamic Revolutionary Guard can continue as they were, killing and repressing their countrymen without restraint. The Strait of Hormuz stays in Iranian control, and 1,000 pounds of weapons-grade uranium remains in Iran. This represents a calamity for Israel and the world, says Horovitz.
“Israel’s leadership and citizenry, almost all the way across the spectrum, rightly regard the Islamic Republic as a direct, existential threat – a regime that has to be removed for the sake of the Iranian people, the region, and the free world, but first and foremost, for the survivability of Israel,” he said. “We know all too well the devastation that Iran’s weaker border proxy, Hamas, was able to wreak on October 7, 2023. We are currently rediscovering the revived deadly capabilities of Hezbollah, across the northern border. And we have every reason to fear that if Iran attains its sought-after nuclear weapons capability, it will seek to use it against the world’s only Jewish state.”
Trump's Reputation Ruined with Israelis
For most Americans, the conflict with Iran, now entering its fourth month, is a far-away annoyance causing soaring costs for gas, fertilizer, and food. But for Israelis, the prospect of a revitalized Iranian regime committed to nuclear weapons is existential. It is a clear and present danger, Horovitz says.
Trump himself has ruined his reputation with Israelis. His favored approach to dealing with adversaries, per his Art of the Deal, is to belittle and mock them on social media to secure concessions. It worked with Canada and the Europeans, but never with the Iranians, who now regularly mock Trump on his preferred platform.
The Times ran a full-page feature on Trump’s own words about the war. “Iran is totally defeated and wants a deal,” he said on March 13. “Very good and productive conversations,” on March 23. “They are begging us to make a deal,” on March 26. “We’ll be leaving very soon,” March 31. “They’ve made a significant proposal,” April 6. “My representatives are having very positive discussions,” May 3. “It’s very possible that we’ll make a deal,” May 6. “Final aspects of the Deal will be announced shortly,” May 23. And on and on.
It is easy to see why the IRGC has started posting AI-generated videos showing Trump kneeling before Iran’s Supreme Leader, and why Israelis now shake their heads at the mere mention of Trump’s name. “He doesn’t care about us,” one Israeli said. “We are on our own, now.”
Kinsella’s bestselling book on Iran and its propaganda war, The Hidden Hand, has been published by Penguin Random House.
