Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Florida on Dec. 28 and had meetings Dec. 29 with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and then President Donald Trump.
Trump greeted Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago and responded to a few questions from media before their meeting.
He said that Hamas must disarm as part of any peace deal and that as a wartime prime minister, Netanyahu has “done a phenomenal job” and deserves a pardon.
“Israel with other people might not exist right now,” Trump asserted. “[If] you had the wrong prime minister, Israel would not exist.”
He said that he hears that Iran is building up again, and if they are, “we’re going to have to knock them down,” unless Iran makes a deal. Trump said that he would support an Israeli strike on Iran if it continues to develop missiles, and would act “fast” if Iran moved ahead on nuclear weapons: “The one is yes, absolutely, the other is yes, we’ll do it immediately.”
Responding to a softball question about his view of Trump as a friend to Israel, Netanyahu lavished unwholesome praise: “We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House. It’s not even close.… I think Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States. … I think it’s not just Israel’s great fortune; it’s the world’s great fortune.”
Asked about the attack on President Putin’s residence, Trump said that he was angry about it. Putin told him about it during their phone call in the morning. “It’s no good. It’s no good,” he said. He reiterated that he stopped the supply of Tomahawks—which Ukraine could have used to strike deep within Russia. “It’s one thing to be offensive,” he said, “it’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that.”
Trump also said the U.S. had struck a port area in Venezuela where drugs are loaded onto boats.
