Trump admits to calling Netanyahu “crazy” in profanity-laced call

President Donald Trump confirmed that he used profanity to describe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called him “crazy” during a phone call, but insisted the pair work well together. Trump admitted to the remarks during a Monday interview with The New York Post’s Pod Force One released on Wednesday.

Trump described being perturbed—not angry—at the prime minister over Israel’s continual fighting with the Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah. The fighting with Lebanon has got to stop, Trump said. Netanyahu is a wartime prime minister, and he is a wartime president, Trump added.

Trump also tried to shut down theories that Netanyahu conned him into starting the war with Iran. The president insisted he started the war because Iran can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.

Did he give any updates on the ceasefire or negotiations with Iran? Trump briefly discussed the ever-contentious Strait of Hormuz, stating he wasn’t sure when the critical waterway may reopen amid peace talks. Though unlikely, the U.S. blockade stopping Iranian oil movement may stay in place through the end of summer, Trump said. The timeline is still unclear, but the situation will likely resolve itself soon, he added.

The president also confirmed that Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been involved in peace talks. The new leader was rumored to have suffered serious injuries during an airstrike, but Trump declined to comment on Khamenei’s condition. There are stories that Khamenei is missing body parts, but Trump said he couldn’t confirm that, since the pair hadn’t met in person.

The supreme leader is at least giving approval for things, since that's how the country has always functioned, the president added. Trump admitted that he would like to meet Khamenei, and felt the pair would likely meet at some point. Trump also reported that the U.S. envoys had gone through two sets of Iranian negotiators. Some of the third set of Iran’s negotiators are also gone, but U.S. negotiators are dealing with people who are leading the country now, Trump said.

Other points of note:

• On the topic of elections, Trump hinted that Vice President J.D. Vance could team up with State Secretary Marco Rubio for a 2028 campaign. They get along great, and that pairing would be very hard to beat, Trump said.

• Trump also said he expected acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to become the permanent Department of Justice head. Trump said he wanted to see how Blanche functioned in the role, and the acting AG had done the job very well.