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“Trump says he lost respect for Israel. It's happening”
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President Trump has publicly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and expressed frustration with Israeli hardliners, marking a significant deterioration in US-Israel relations following the recent US-Iran agreement. In an interview released on June 19, Trump stated he had lost respect for Israeli hardliners and claimed he has to keep Netanyahu "a little bit sane." This rhetoric aligns with broader reports of Israeli outrage over the Iran deal, with major Israeli publications accusing Trump of abandoning Israel. The claim that Trump has lost respect for Israel is supported by his own statements and subsequent reporting.
The claim that Trump says he lost respect for Israel is directly supported by recent reporting. On June 19, 2026, Trump gave an interview to Axios in which he criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, stating he had to keep him "a little bit sane" and explicitly saying he had lost respect for "hardliners" who wanted to continue the war with Iran. This was reported by the New York Post and corroborated by Al Jazeera's coverage of the growing rift between the US and Israel following the US-Iran memorandum of understanding. The Al Jazeera article details how Israeli public opinion has turned sharply against Trump, with op-eds in major Israeli newspapers accusing him of betrayal. A June 21 analysis by Lawrence Freedman further confirms that the Trump administration's exasperation with Israel is now being expressed openly. The evidence clearly shows that Trump has made statements indicating a loss of respect for certain Israeli factions, and that this sentiment is part of a broader, documented deterioration in the US-Israel relationship.
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4 reviewed sources behind this verdict.
Reports Trump's direct quotes criticizing Netanyahu and Israeli hardliners.
Details the Israeli public and political backlash against Trump over the Iran deal.
Trump claims he can control IDF actions in Lebanon because Israelis respect him. Nonetheless, Israel said to rebuff private US request to withdraw from Lebanon;
They also wish it to be known that they will always do what is necessary as an independent sovereign power to protect their security whatever anyone, including the US, tells them to do. This requires fighting at least one day after the demand for a ceasefire if only to make the point that they can. On Saturday there were reports from Iran that the Strait of Hormuz was being closed again though the situation remains unclear, as does the status of the various negotiations that are now taking place