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Trump lashes out at Benjamin Netanyahu for congratulating Biden so soon after election: ‘F*** him’

The former president condemned the Israeli leader for a lack of loyalty

Jade Bremner
Friday 10 December 2021 14:27 GMT
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Benjamin Netanyahu congratulates Biden after election

Donald Trump launched a verbal attack on Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying "f*** him" when asked about Mr Netanyahu congratulating President Biden on his election win.

"He has made a terrible mistake,” Mr Trump added.

In an interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid, about his book Trump's Peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East, Mr Trump was candid about the state of his relationship with the Israeli leader.

"Nobody did more for Bibi. And I liked Bibi. I still like Bibi," Mr Trump said about Mr Netanyahu. "But I also like loyalty," said the former US president while being interviewed in Mar-a-Lago last Spring. "The first person to congratulate Biden was Bibi. And not only did he congratulate him, he did it on tape. And it was on tape."

Mr Netanyahu posted a clip congratulating President Biden on Twitter. Mr Trump recalled that his wife Melania was the first to see Mr Netanyahu’s post and told her husband about it. Melania Trump said, "Wow, look at this”, recalled Mr Trump.

Mr Trump when on to share his anger about Mr Netanyahu being the first person to congratulate Joe Biden, “because this was an election in dispute, it's still in dispute. The first person who congratulated was Bibi Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with," he said speaking of his Middle East peace plan, in which he brokered agreements with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Mr Trump also signed the Golan Heights order, recognising an occupied area as Israeli instead of Syria.

"Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake,” said Mr Trump.

Leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro did not immediately congratulate President Biden. "They felt the election was rigged,” said Mr Trump. "I haven’t spoken to him since," said Mr Trump of the Israeli prime minister, "F**k him”.

While Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed the 2020 election was rife with fraud, there is no evidence for the former president’s baseless claims.

Asked whether he would be running for a second term in 2024, Mr Trump responded: “We’ll see. Maybe I will have a second term. We’ll see what happens. I am not making any plans.”

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