Trump shows his usual disregard for protocol

The president’s impromptu press conference addressed Gaza, the possibility of new attacks on Iran’s nuclear program and tensions between Israel and Syria, while Netanyahu, impassive, watches everything.

Hosting Benjamin Netanyahu for the fifth time since returning to the White House 11 months ago, Donald Trump put on a show on Monday that represented in microcosm his now habitual disregard for foreign policy protocols.

At an impromptu 15-minute news conference on the steps of Mar-a-Lago, Trump first made a casual and vaguely dismissive acknowledgment of the Israeli prime minister’s unusual frequency of visits, asking journalists: “Do you recognize this guy?”

He then proceeded to flout diplomatic conventions in his characteristically arrogant style, declaring that he would support Netanyahu “immediately” if he ordered another attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, while confirming that he had personally asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon the prime minister in a bribery and corruption trial – apparently without caring about the appearance of interfering in the affairs of a sovereign state.

More surprising still, he appeared to accept Russia’s claim that Ukraine had attacked Vladimir Putin’s residence overnight, while acknowledging that he had no independent confirmation from American intelligence—choosing to take the Russian president’s word for it, even as Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader Trump hosted the day before, denounced the story as a “lie.”

Almost in passing, Trump boasted about his relationship with another authoritarian leader, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long ridiculed Netanyahu and compared him to Hitler. The Israeli leader is vehemently opposed to Turkish forces playing any future role in the fragile peace deal and reconstruction of Gaza.

If Netanyahu was disturbed by this, his impassive expression did not show it. He said Trump was the best friend Israel has ever had among all American presidents.

“We have never had a friend like President Trump in the White House,” Netanyahu said. “This can be proven not only by the frequency of our meetings, but also by the content and intensity. I think Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States.”

Later, during a lunch between the two, Netanyahu reinforced the cordiality by giving in to Trump’s penchant for flattery, telling him that he would be the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, the Jewish state’s highest cultural honor.

This statement was, at the very least, surpassed by an even more hyperbolic praise from Trump, who suggested that Israel would no longer exist if it had been led in recent years by any other prime minister.

“There could be other wartime prime ministers, but they would lose,” he said at a formal press conference after lunch. “He won. If we had a weak person, a stupid person – and there are a lot of both – maybe we wouldn’t have Israel.”

In fact, the meeting occurred at a time of significant friction between the two – and the words of praise disguised likely feelings of mutual irritation.

The White House is trying to pressure Netanyahu to join the second phase of Trump’s long-sought 20-point peace plan for Gaza — even as Netanyahu has shown reluctance to agree, claiming that Hamas has not been properly disarmed.

Trump acknowledged his guest’s concerns, saying that “it is necessary to disarm Hamas.” But he was less helpful when asked whether reconstruction of the devastated coastal territory would begin before Hamas disarmed.

“I think it’s going to start very soon,” he said, before adding: “He’s looking forward to it, and so am I. What a mess.”

How to interpret Trump’s statements about Iran, whose uranium enrichment facilities at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz he ordered bombed last June? The American strikes came after Israel launched initial strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, as well as broader strikes that provoked Iranian retaliation.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that the US action “annihilated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. However, Netanyahu has again called for a new offensive amid reports that Tehran’s theocratic rulers are modernizing the country’s ballistic missile arsenal and trying to rebuild its damaged nuclear facilities.

In response, Trump acknowledged that “Iran may be behaving badly,” but added the caveat that “this has not been confirmed.” He expressed hope that Tehran would negotiate a deal.

But would he support Israeli attacks if there was no agreement? “If they continue with missiles [balísticos]Yes; the nuclear program? Quickly,” he replied, before suggesting that the US would launch its own attack if the nuclear program resumed. “One answer will be yes, absolutely. The other will be: we will do it immediately.”

However, he drew a dividing line when it came to regime change, something Israel appeared to aim for last summer when it expanded attacks beyond military installations, targeting several Revolutionary Guard commanders, as well as bombing Tehran’s Evin prison, whose inmates include political prisoners and which has long been seen as a symbol of repression.

“I’m not going to talk about overthrowing a regime,” Trump said. “They have a lot of problems. Inflation is very high, the economy is in shambles and I know the people are not happy at all. But don’t forget: whenever there is a riot or someone forms a group, small or large, they start shooting at people.”

It may have been a warning message for Netanyahu.

Trump’s message about Syria and its president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was even clearer. He was recently welcomed to the White House despite his past as a commander of rebel groups that were part of the Islamic State and explicit hostility from Israel, which has branded his regime “jihadi Islamic terrorists.”

“I hope he gets along with Syria,” Trump said of Netanyahu. “Because the new president of Syria is trying very hard to do a good job. He’s a tough guy. [Mas] you’re not going to get a saint to lead Syria.”

Asked later whether he and Netanyahu had reached an agreement on the matter, Trump responded: “Yes, we do have an understanding regarding Syria.”

He then passed the floor to Netanyahu, who seemed unenthusiastic. “Yes, well. Our interest is to have a peaceful border with Syria. We want to make sure that the border area close to our border is safe – that we don’t have terrorists.”

In terms of understanding, it seemed clearly open to interpretation.

Originally published by The Guardian on 12/30/2025

By Robert Tait in Washington