Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, May 16, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Friday, May 16, 2025
Trump: ‘I don’t know’ if Netanyahu can get hostages out, ‘some are in better shape than others’
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media accompanying him aboard Air Force One, after leaving Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, at the end of his Middle East tour on May 16, 2025. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)
US President Donald Trump says he doesn’t know if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is capable of inking a hostage deal, while speaking to the press on Air Force One.
“Do you think the Israelis and Bibi Netanyahu can get his hostages out?” a reporter asks Trump, using the prime minister’s nickname.
“I don’t know. We’re going to find out pretty soon. We’re going to know pretty soon. They’re not in good shape,” Trump says.
“Some of them are in better shape than others. A little bit depends on the place where they are, but we’ll be working with them to get them,” he adds.
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