Trump blasts Netanyahu, praises Obama
Former President Barack Obama is "smart and sharp," but sowed "tremendous division" during his time in office, former President Donald Trump said at an event in Florida on Saturday. Trump also said he "liked" Obama, The New York Post reported.
The comments mark a major shift in rhetoric for the forty-fifth president, who spent years claiming his predecessor was born in Kenya and was "the most ignorant president in our history."
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An Israeli outlet released excerpts Friday from an interview in which Trump blasted Netanyahu for congratulating then-President-elect Biden on his victory before Trump had conceded. He also referred to the former premier by his nickname, Bibi, throughout the interview.
"F--k him," Trump said of Netanyahu. "Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi. But I also like loyalty." Trump added that the "first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape."
This is false. Netanyahu was not the first world leader to congratulate Biden; that honor went to Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau. Also, Netanyahu — at least initially — congratulated Biden by tweet, not "on tape."
Rather than matching Trump's harsh language, Netanyahu explained in an interview Friday that it was important for him to congratulate Biden but that he still values "President Trump's big contribution to Israel and its security."
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