Trump announces Sudan and Israel will normalize relations, asks Netanyahu if 'Sleepy Joe could have made this deal'


President Trump on Friday announced that Israel and Sudan will normalize relations — and in the process unsuccessfully sought an attack on his Democratic opponent from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The White House on Friday said that Israel and Sudan "have agreed to the normalization of relations," touting this as a "historic agreement" and calling it "another major step toward building peace in the Middle East." Trump spoke in the Oval Office about the agreement, with Netanyahu joining him over the phone, and got in a dig at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
"Do you think Sleepy Joe could have made this deal, Bibi?" Trump asked Netanyahu. "Sleepy Joe. Do you think he would have made this deal? Somehow, I don't think so."
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But Trump didn't get what he was apparently looking for from Netanyahu, who ignored the question about Biden entirely and avoided going after the former vice president.
"Well, Mr. President," Netanyahu responded, "one thing I can tell you is we appreciate the help for peace from anyone in America." Brendan Morrow
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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