Former President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with Newsmax, was noncommittal about whether he'd support former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his bid for reelection, saying that he has a mixed opinion of him and was "disappointed" in him in some ways.
"I was disappointed with him in certain ways but overall I liked him very much," Trump told Newsmax's Rob Finnerty in an interview on Newsmax's "Wake Up America" on Thursday. "If he ran, I would certainly give it some thought. We'll see what happens. I don't know that that's going to happen. He disappointed me in certain ways but he also did a very good job in other ways."
Trump didn't tell Newsmax if his disappointment was connected with President Joe Biden and the 2020 election, but last year, the former president slammed Netanyahu with profanity and accused him of being disloyal after the former prime minister congratulated Biden on the 2020 election.
Trump said at the time he'd helped Netanyahu win his own elections by reversing U.S. policy and supporting claims made by Israel to territory that was seized during Israel's war.
Trump told Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, after Netanyahu circulated a video congratulating Biden, that "nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi," referring to Netanyahu by using his nickname. "But I also like loyalty ... Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake."
Netanyahu was replaced as prime minister by nationalist Naftali Bennett last summer when Netanyahu could not form a governing majority. He had been in office for 12 years before leaving.
Trump has said that he helped Netanyahu in the April 2019 elections in Israel by deciding to recognize the country's annexation of the Golan Heights, which it had captured from Syria in 1967.
Since 2019, Netanyahu has used his relationship with Trump while campaigning in four elections, reports The Jerusalem Post. The two men have known each other since the 1980s when Netanyahu was Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. Trump endorsed Netanyahu before the 2013 election.
Netanyahu announced his election bid Monday after Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced they had decided to dissolve Israel's Parliament.
"After a determined struggle of the opposition in the Knesset and great suffering of the Israeli public, it is clear to everyone that the worst government in the history of the country has come to an end," Netanyahu said, according to a report from All Israel News, published with permission on Newsmax.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.