President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House yesterday (July 28), their first face-to-face discussion since the two world leaders launched a joint operation against Iran earlier this year.
While few details were revealed, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the conversation was “positive and productive!” The office of Netanyahu gave slightly more information on the rare reunion, saying the pair had “an excellent and comprehensive discussion on the key issues of the day, first and foremost Iran” and they “reaffirmed their ironclad commitment to ensuring that Iran never has nuclear weapons.”
Trump Talks Netanyahu, Iran
Before the meeting, President Trump appeared on Fox & Friends to discuss, among other topics, the latest developments in Iran. Co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked the president how he intended to respond to Netanyahu, who reportedly planned to discuss “ongoing excavation at Pickaxe Mountain, construction vehicles entering and exiting tunnels, [and] paving new access roads.” An underground facility, Pickaxe is part of Tehran’s nuclear program. Earhardt noted that “satellite imagery and intel [indicate] that Iran is actively constructing and fortifying” the nuclear-linked site.
“Well, I don’t need Bibi to tell me that,” Trump responded, referring to the Israeli leader by his nickname. “Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved.”
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The US commander-in-chief continued, “I heard Bibi announced that. I said, ‘Why didn’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?’ I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem.” The president warned that the United States would “have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal.”
Co-host Brian Kilmeade pressed Trump about his claim that talks with Iranian leaders remain underway, despite Tehran’s repeated denials.
“[F]or some reason, we can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion and they’ll come out and say ‘We’re not talking’ or ‘We didn’t just discuss nuclear.’ Well, that’s all we discuss, because they’ll never have a nuclear weapon. They understand that.” Then he added, “We have had some very good talks.”
Trump acknowledged that he is being pulled in different directions by “a lot of competing factions” over the conflict in Iran. While some Republicans are eager to see the war end before the midterms, others, he said, “want [Iran] to be obliterated in the truest sense of the word.”
Midterm Concerns
Republicans worried about the war in Iran hurting the party in the midterms may have good reason for concern. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only one-third of Americans support the ongoing conflict, with most respondents arguing Trump “has failed to explain his goals.”
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said the president isn’t swayed by “fluid opinion polls,” insisting that Americans appreciate “a commander in chief who takes bold action to keep them safe.”
Polls may not always get it right, but Trump’s ongoing war is becoming more unpopular by the day, and the political risk heading into the midterms is hard to ignore. The president is already having trouble advancing his agenda with a Republican-controlled Congress – imagine how much worse it would be with the Democrats in charge.
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