President Donald Trump confirmed in a New York Post podcast interview that he did, in fact, call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "f**king crazy" during a phone call earlier in the week, while insisting the two leaders have a strong working relationship.
"I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon," Trump told the New York Post, explaining what prompted his outburst. The continuing Israeli strikes on Lebanon have put US-Iran peace negotiations in jeopardy, as Tehran is demanding a halt to Israeli targeting of Hezbollah before it will agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow talks on dismantling its nuclear program to proceed.
Despite confirming the heated exchange, Trump was emphatic that the relationship remains intact. "We've worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him," he said. "I'm a wartime president," Trump told New York Post reporter Miranda Devine in a Wednesday episode of the "Pod Force One" podcast. "He's a wartime prime minister."
Trump's explosive language with Netanyahu was first reported Monday by Axios and was met with disbelief by some defenders of Israel, including conservative commentator Mark Levin, who called on the FBI to investigate who supplied the news outlet the vulgar verbiage, claiming it aided Iran.
The New York Post reported that while Trump acknowledged his frustration over the risk that the Lebanon conflict poses to broader peacemaking efforts, he expressed confidence that a deal with Iran would materialize "fairly quickly." He also pointed to record stock market levels as evidence of US economic resilience and noted that oil prices had defied dire predictions. "Everyone said it was going to be $300, $400 a barrel, it's 98 dollars a barrel but that's not a big price to pay if you look at the possibility of them having a nuclear weapon," he said.
According to the New York Post, a US-Iran memorandum of understanding could reopen the Strait of Hormuz as early as this week, offering relief from the energy squeeze that has sent gasoline prices and inflation climbing.
Trump indicated he is not pressing for a rapid resolution. He even acknowledged the possibility that the US naval blockade around the waterway could remain in force until Labor Day, carrying the prospect of a summer-long fuel price burden and potential damage to Republicans ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Maintaining an optimistic public posture throughout, Trump told the New York Post that discussions with Iran are "rapidly evolving" and pledged that "we're not going to have a nuclear weapon and lots of other good things are going to happen."
