Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he was “not prepared” for Hamas attacks across the country.
Trump during a speech to supporters in Palm Beach, Fla., bragged about how he moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and signed the Abraham Accords, which formalized diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, before repeating his endless 2020 election conspiracy theory.
“If the election wasn’t rigged,” he said, “there would be nobody even thinking about going into Israel.”
Trump during the speech appeared to fault Biden administration officials’ rhetoric for a missile attack on Israel that was attributed to Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
“Two nights ago, I read all of Biden’s security people, can you imagine, national defense people, and they said, ‘Gee, I hope Hezbollah doesn’t attack from the north, because that’s the most vulnerable spot,’” Trump told the crowd. “I said, ‘Wait a minute.’ You know, Hezbollah is very smart. They’re all very smart.”
Trump acknowledged that his remarks would draw backlash.
“The press doesn’t like when they say it,” he said.
Trump in his remarks also criticized Netanyahu, claiming he backed out of participating in his administration’s strike that took out Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
“But I’ll never forget — I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down. That was a very terrible thing,” Trump said. “And then Bibi tried to take credit for it. That was it. That didn’t make me feel too good, but that’s all right.”
The former president in an interview with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade also faulted Netanyahu for the intelligence failure leading up to the attack.
“We have to protect Israel. There’s no choice. And we have to do it. He has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened here. He was not prepared. He was not prepared and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn’t have had to be prepared,” he said.
“Who would’ve thought their intelligence wouldn’t have been able to pick this up? Thousands of people were involved. Thousands of people knew about it and they let this slip by. That was not a good thing for him or for anybody,” he added.
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Trump, who forged close ties to Netanyahu’s government during his administration, has criticized the prime minister ever since he congratulated President Joe Biden on his 2020 election win.
MSNBC host Jon Lemire on Thursday reported that part of the reason Trump went after the prime minister "is that Netanyahu had praised President Biden, of course, Trump's likely rival in 2024. And Trump simply couldn't stand for that."
Trump’s remarks drew heated backlash days after the attack.
“Terrorists have murdered at least 1,200 Israelis and 22 Americans and are holding more hostage, so it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel, much less praise Hezbollah terrorists as ‘very smart.’” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s primary challengers, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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Olivia Troye who served as a national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, another Trump challenger, also called out the Republican frontrunner for “praising Hezbollah while they launch attacks against Israel.”
“Perhaps Trump needs to be reminded about our own country's history with the group, such as their attacks on our US Marine Barracks & that they're a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization,” she wrote. “How does all of this horrid rhetoric square now with those who claim to stand by Israel while still standing by Trump?”
“After Hamas slaughters hundreds of Jewish families, and Israel confronts an unprecedented security crisis, Donald Trump attacks the Israeli govt and praises Hezbollah terrorists,” wrote former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. “Are Republicans really going to nominate this dangerous man to be President of the United States?”
MSNBC host Joe Scarborough said Trump was “out of his mind.”
"I mean, praising Hezbollah, just like he praised Vladimir Putin, said he was brilliant after the invasion of Ukraine,” he said Thursday. “All the praise that he's had for President Xi in China, always talking about what a brilliant man he is. Same thing, of course, with the tyrannical leader of North Korea – out of his mind, and again, the fact that Republicans are embracing this guy just is absolutely crazy."
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