Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday posted a video from Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on his Truth Social platform, condemning the assassination attempt against Trump that occurred on Saturday.
Netanyahu expressed in the video that both he and his wife, Sara, “were shocked by the horrific assassination attempt on the life of President Donald Trump.” He further stated, “This wasn’t just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America. It was an attack on democracy, it was an attack on all the democracies.”
Many interpreted Trump’s decision to share Netanyahu’s video as an indication that he is looking to mend his relationship with Netanyahu, as he campaigns for the presidency again.
Barak Ravid from Axios reported that Netanyahu’s associates have engaged with Trump at least four times in the past three years in efforts to reconcile, but an aide mentioned, “every time we thought we managed to put this behind us we discovered that it didn’t work and that Trump was still angry.”
Despite past challenges, Trump’s posting of Netanyahu’s condemnation on Truth Social was seen as a positive sign by the aides.
Ravid’s article notes that Netanyahu’s team not only posted the video online but also directly sent it to Trump’s team.
One of Netanyahu’s aides highlighted that it was deliberate for Netanyahu to call Trump “President Trump” instead of “former President Trump” in the video.
“We were told that Trump watched it,” the aide mentioned. Following this, Trump posted the video on Truth Social.
During Trump’s presidency, he and Netanyahu had a close relationship, but post-presidency, Trump has publicly criticized Netanyahu multiple times.
In a notable 2021 interview with journalist Barak Ravid, Trump harshly criticized Netanyahu for congratulating Joe Biden shortly after his election win, saying, “I haven’t spoken to him since. F**k him.”
In October, during a speech in Florida, Trump criticized Netanyahu again regarding the elimination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US airstrike in 2020. Trump accused Netanyahu of not being helpful in the mission but later trying to take credit.
In an April interview with TIME Magazine, Trump blamed Netanyahu for Hamas’ October 7 massacre against Israel, stating it “happened on [Netanyahu’s] watch.”
Trump defended his remarks about Netanyahu by highlighting his unwavering support for Israel during his presidency.
{Matzav.com}