President Trump said Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a White House meeting that could happen as early as next week, marking a potential show of unity between the two leaders even as tensions over Middle East strategy have rippled into public view.
In a brief phone interview with Axios, Trump said Netanyahu asked for the meeting and that it could take place after Trump returns from the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey on July 7 and 8. “We get along very good. [Netanyahu] knows who the boss is,” Trump told the outlet, referring to himself.
Netanyahu’s office confirmed the announcement Friday, stating that the Israeli prime minister had called Trump to congratulate him on America’s 250th Independence Day. “During their conversation, the Prime Minister said that the United States is a guarantor of global freedom, and that Israel greatly values the close relationship between the two nations. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump agreed to meet soon in the United States,” the office said.
However, an Israeli official cautioned that next week might be too soon for the visit, given Trump’s travel schedule. “It might take place the week after,” the official told Axios. If the meeting occurs in July, it would mark Netanyahu’s seventh visit to the US since Trump returned to office in January 2025, according to Al Jazeera.
The announced meeting comes at a moment of strain in the Trump-Netanyahu relationship. The two leaders have clashed repeatedly over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, where Netanyahu has continued strikes that Trump fears could undermine his administration’s ongoing ceasefire negotiations with Iran. In early June, Trump confirmed to the New York Post that he called Netanyahu “crazy” during a phone call, citing frustration over Israeli actions in Lebanon. “I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump said at the time.
Trump has also grown increasingly skeptical of Netanyahu’s broader strategy. According to Axios, people in Trump’s orbit have become “increasingly skeptical and disillusioned with Netanyahu” since their dramatic February meeting at the White House, when Netanyahu presented his plan for a joint war against Iran. “Many of Trump’s closest advisers think that Bibi was wrong about everything,” a U.S. official told Axios.
The tensions have deepened as the two leaders’ objectives diverge. While Trump has sought to wind down the conflict with Iran through diplomacy—signing a memorandum of understanding on June 17 to suspend hostilities—Netanyahu has resisted constraints on Israeli military operations. Israel opposed the ceasefire framework, with Netanyahu concerned it would limit Israel’s military options. Trump has publicly pressed Netanyahu to restrain IDF operations in Lebanon and to sign a framework agreement requiring an initial withdrawal from the south.
Despite the friction, Trump has publicly downplayed any rupture. In his Axios interview, Trump emphasized that he and Netanyahu “get along very good,” even as he underscored his authority over the Israeli leader. The White House meeting would give Netanyahu a platform as he campaigns for Israeli elections scheduled for October 2026, where polls currently show him trailing.
Sources
- Axios — Trump’s exclusive phone interview confirming Netanyahu’s request for a White House meeting, the timing, and Trump’s comments about Netanyahu knowing “who the boss is.”
- Al Jazeera — Confirmation that the visit would be Netanyahu’s seventh trip to the US under Trump’s second term, context on tensions over Iran negotiations and Lebanon strikes.
- Reuters — Background on the collision course between Netanyahu and Trump over Iran ceasefire and Lebanon operations.
- The New York Times — Trump’s public criticism of Netanyahu and comments about the Israeli leader “getting a little excited sometimes.”
