US President Donald Trump has hinted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may visit the White House as early as next week, marking the first such visit since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran.
On Saturday, President Trump told news agency Axios that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested a meeting.
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The US president also speculated that the White House meeting could take place after his return from the annual North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which will be held in Ankara, Turkiye on July 7 and 8 this year.
But the meeting took place amid public tensions between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Israel opposes efforts under the Trump administration to negotiate a ceasefire with Iran, and Trump has publicly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which threatens to tear up the negotiated deal.
In a brief phone interview with Axios, President Trump reportedly dismissed speculation about a rift between the two leaders, while asserting his authority over Prime Minister Netanyahu.
“We get along very well. (Prime Minister Netanyahu) knows who’s boss,” Trump told Axios.
The United States and Israel have long been allies. The United States was the first international government to recognize the state of Israel in 1948, and in the decades since, Israel has become the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since World War II.
In 2016, the United States issued a memorandum of understanding pledging to provide $38 billion in military aid to Israel over 10 years, the largest policy of its kind, and has continued to provide additional military aid to Israel in recent years, including during the genocidal war in Gaza.
During President Trump’s second term, the United States also joined Israel in two wars against Iran, starting in June 2025 and on February 28, 2025.
However, the conflict was widely condemned as an unprovoked act of aggression that violates international law. President Trump has also faced domestic backlash for sending in U.S. troops without Congressional approval.
For example, a June 24 Quinnipiac University poll found that 60% of U.S. voters felt a war with Iran was “not worth it,” while only 34% said they supported the conflict.
In the same survey, 48% of respondents said the US was too supportive of Israel.
These numbers coincide with President Trump’s declining approval ratings, a grim sign for his Republican Party as it seeks to maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
But the Trump administration has defended its involvement in the conflict, saying it had prevented Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a desire Tehran has long denied.
The company insists that its uranium enrichment program is for civilian energy purposes only.
Still, President Trump and his officials sought to wind down the war, announcing a two-week cease-fire on April 8 that was extended indefinitely.
On June 17, the United States and Iran also signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cease hostilities, but its implementation remains uneven.
Since the memorandum was approved, the United States and Iran have exchanged fire over commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel has continued to attack southern Lebanon in violation of the agreement.
President Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s attack on Lebanon, with Iran threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz again.
In early June, President Trump admitted to the New York Post that during a phone call with Netanyahu, he called Netanyahu “fucking crazy” for his actions in Lebanon.
“I was a little upset that he was always fighting Lebanon,” Trump told the Post.
However, the United States has not changed its policy toward Israel, and President Trump emphasized to the newspaper that his relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu remains strong.
“We have worked very well together. I like Bibi very much and I work with him very well,” he said.
When Prime Minister Netanyahu arrives in Washington, D.C., this month, it will be his seventh visit to the United States during the Trump administration’s second term.
Since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, no leader of a country has made an official visit to the United States as much as Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s last visit was in February, just before Israel and the United States launched the first salvo of strikes against Iran in the current conflict.
Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant remain the subject of arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court. However, neither the United States nor Israel recognize the court’s authority.
