If former President Trump says something you can rely on the opposite to be true. This is surely the case when it comes Trump's displeasure with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli journalist and Axios contributor Barak Ravid twice interviewed Trump for his book Trump's Peace: The Abraham Accords and The Reshaping of the Middle East. In Ravid's first interview with Trump in April 2021, the former President was enraged at Netanyahu for congratulating Joe Biden after he was declared the winner of the election:
The first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape....He was very early — like, earlier than most. I haven’t spoken to him since. F**k him.
In Ravid's second interview with Trump three months later, the former President stated, “I can tell you that people were very angry with him when he was the first one to congratulate Biden."
Balderdash!!!
Now people were angry at Bibi for congratulating Biden. But they were angry at him because he didn't congratulate Biden quickly enough.
Indeed, at the time, Netanyahu was not only criticized for congratulating Biden and Kamala Harris some 12 hours after the results were announced but he was also criticized for not referring to Biden as President-elect . Furthermore, then opposition leader and now Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid chided Netanyahu as being "cowardly and shameful" in not promptly congratulating Biden stating, “If the French president, German chancellor and British prime minister can do it, so can you.”
Sooner or later, Bibi was going to congratulate Biden. It is a function of his office as with the office of the President of the United States. While he held that office, Trump offered congratulations to Emmanuel Macron, Boris Johnson and Angela Merkel albeit four days after being re-elected to her fourth and final term in 2017. Whatever one thinks of the timing and sincerity of Bibi's congratulatory message towards Biden, it must be noted that less than 15 minutes after congratulating the new President, he tweeted a message to the outgoing President:
Thank you @realDonaldTrump for the friendship you have shown the state of Israel and me personally, for recognizing Jerusalem and the Golan, for standing up to Iran, for the historic peace accords and for bringing the American-Israeli alliance to unprecedented heights.
For this effusive praise, Trump rewards Bibi with "F*#k him!!!"
Is it a question of Trump lying? It is far from his first lie. As such we must always consider the possibility. But I think it is more likely a question of Trump being so irrational and megalomaniacal that even a belated and tepid congratulations of Biden is the equivalent of betrayal and treason notwithstanding any other effusive praise. After all, this is a man who has publicly characterized the election as "an insurrection" and the storming of the U.S. Capitol as "a protest". With friends like Trump who needs enemies even as Israel has them in abundance. As with everyone else, Trump demands loyalty but offers none in return. Fortunately for Netanyahu, he is not seeking elected office in this country and thus does not have to worship at his altar for fear of being challenged in a Republican primary.
Nevertheless, it illustrates why this man can never hold any elected office in this country ever again much less ever step foot inside the White House. Trump is governed solely by poisoned passion instead of righteous reason. He has spread those poisons into our waters and a critical mass among us cannot wait to drink the next bottle and smash it over the heads of their enemies real or imagined. And as of now Benjamin Netanyahu has been added to MAGA enemies list.
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