Netanyahu said seeking sit-down with Trump during trip to US; will meet Kamala Harris
Report says PM hoping for at least a phone call with the former president; after Biden gets COVID, US says it has ‘every expectation’ he and premier will still see each other
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to meet with former US president Donald Trump during his visit to the United States next week, or at least to speak to the Republican presidential contender on the phone, according to a report Thursday.
The Kan public broadcaster, which cited Israeli sources familiar with the matter, did not say where such a meeting may take place, and the Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to its request for comment.
Netanyahu is set to fly to Washington Sunday night, ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, July 24.
The prime minister is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday, the first time Biden will have hosted Netanyahu in Washington since he returned to office in late 2022.
But Biden’s schedule has been up in the air since Wednesday, when the president tested positive for COVID-19 and entered quarantine. He is experiencing “mild symptoms,” the White House said.
“We have every expectation that the two leaders will have a chance to see each other,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Thursday, but he noted that “the president’s health and his recovery from COVID takes priority.”
Like all Israelis, my wife Sara and I were shocked by the horrific assassination attempt on the life of President Donald Trump.
This wasn't just an attack on Donald Trump. This was an attack on a candidate for the presidency of the United States. This was an attack on America.… pic.twitter.com/AzeiL78uNU
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) July 14, 2024
Kirby also said Thursday that Netanyahu will meet with Vice President Kamala Harris, separately from his planned Oval Office meeting with Biden.
That announcement came as pressure continued to mount on Biden to end his reelection bid and allow another Democrat — potentially Harris — to represent the party in the November election against Trump.
The former president is set to formally accept the Republican party’s nomination for the presidency on Thursday, delivering a speech to some tens of thousands of people at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
It will be his first public address since an attempt was made against his life last weekend, when a 20-year-old gunman fired at him at a rally, lightly wounding him on the upper ear before a Secret Service counter-sniper took down the would-be assassin.
Netanyahu and Trump had a warm relationship during the latter’s presidency, but the prime minister is reportedly concerned that he will not enter on equally good terms should Trump win re-election, and is now seeking to re-ingratiate himself.
The ex-president once used an expletive to express his disappointment with Netanyahu for congratulating Joe Biden on winning the 2020 US presidential election, the results of which Trump continues to deny. Trump has also fumed at Netanyahu for allegedly pulling Israel out of an American operation to kill Iran Quds Force commander Qassim Soleimani in 2021.
Netanyahu’s aides are optimistic, however, about the future of the relationship, after Trump shared a video of the prime minister on social media, in which Netanyahu referred to the former leader as “President Trump,” reportedly making a point to omit the word “former”— following the assassination attempt.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report.
