Trump acknowledged making the remark during Monday’s conversation with Netanyahu as the two leaders sparred over Israel’s escalating campaign against Hezbollah.
By World Israel News Staff
President Donald Trump has publicly confirmed that he called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “f—ing crazy” during a heated phone call earlier this week over Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, while insisting the two leaders continue to maintain a strong working relationship.
In an interview with Miranda Devine on the Pod Force One podcast, Trump acknowledged making the remark during Monday’s conversation with Netanyahu as the two leaders sparred over Israel’s escalating campaign against Hezbollah.
“I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump said.
The comments came after Axios reported that Trump erupted during the call, warning Netanyahu against expanding Israeli strikes in Beirut as the White House worked to preserve ongoing negotiations with Iran.
According to Axios, Trump told Netanyahu: “You’re f—ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your a–. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”
Another source told the outlet that Trump was “pissed” and at one point shouted, “What the f— are you doing?”
The report drew pushback from Israel, with a source who participated in the call disputing Axios’s account of the exchange.
The source acknowledged that the conversation was tense but said the dispute centered largely on how each side publicly characterized a previous call.
According to the source, Trump complained that Netanyahu’s public statements suggested Israel intended to continue the war at full intensity despite an understanding to avoid strikes in Beirut. Netanyahu, meanwhile, argued that Trump’s social media posts created the impression that Israel had agreed to halt military operations entirely.
The Israeli source said Trump did warn that Israel’s position was becoming increasingly difficult to defend internationally and that the country was facing growing hostility abroad.
Despite the disagreement, Trump struck a largely conciliatory tone in the new interview.
“We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” Trump said.
“I’m a wartime president,” he added. “He’s a wartime prime minister.”
The dispute unfolded against the backdrop of growing concerns that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could derail wider diplomatic efforts involving Iran.
Earlier this week, Tehran suspended negotiations with Washington and threatened further escalation after Israel signaled plans to strike Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district. Iranian officials argued that Israeli operations in Lebanon violated the broader ceasefire framework that had helped facilitate renewed talks between Washington and Tehran.
Trump indicated he remains optimistic that an agreement with Iran can still be reached.
Talks are “rapidly evolving,” he said, adding that “we’re not going to have a nuclear weapon and lots of other good things are going to happen.”
The president also said he believes Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is playing a central role in decisions regarding the conflict and future negotiations.
“I’d like to meet him,” Trump said. “I’d love to meet everybody. I would like to meet him, and we probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out.”
