WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” during a heated phone conversation, as tensions mounted over Israel’s military actions in Lebanon amid ongoing U.S.-led efforts to broker an end to the conflict with Iran.
In an interview aired Wednesday on the “Pod Force One” podcast, Trump acknowledged using the term when asked about a report by Axios describing an expletive-laced exchange with the Israeli leader.
“I did,” Trump said when asked if he had referred to Netanyahu in those terms. “I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon.”
Trump added that despite the friction, his relationship with Netanyahu remains strong. “We get along very well,” he said.
According to the Axios report, which cited an unnamed U.S. official, Trump allegedly told Netanyahu during a Monday call, “You’re 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.” The White House has not publicly confirmed the full contents of the reported exchange.
Trump said in the interview that he repeatedly urged Netanyahu to de-escalate. “At some point I said, Bibi, we’ve got to stop this. We’ve got to stop it,” he said.
The remarks come as Washington continues diplomatic efforts to end hostilities linked to the broader Iran-Israel conflict, which has also drawn in fighting in Lebanon involving Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Iran has maintained that any agreement with the United States to end the war would require a broader ceasefire framework that includes Lebanon, where Israeli forces have conducted operations against Hezbollah since March.
Despite a U.S.-mediated understanding announced earlier this week aimed at reducing hostilities around Beirut, violence has continued. Lebanese security sources reported that Israeli drone strikes killed at least six people in southern Lebanon on Wednesday and targeted a vehicle south of Beirut. Israel said it also intercepted a hostile aerial target believed to have been launched by Hezbollah.
Trump rejected suggestions that Netanyahu had misled him regarding the scope of the conflict, saying critics who made such claims were “the enemy.”
The U.S. president has previously used strong language regarding the conflict, including remarks last year criticizing both Israel and Iran for escalating tensions without strategic direction.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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