Donald Trump has shared inflammatory video content calling Benjamin Netanyahu a “deep, dark son of a bitch” just weeks after the Israeli leader claimed the two had a “very friendly, warm” discussion about hostage negotiations and Syria policy.
The president-elect posted the clip to Truth Social featuring economist Jeffrey Sachs, who accuses Netanyahu of manipulating US foreign policy and orchestrating “endless wars” in the Middle East.
In the video, Sachs – talking at a Cambridge Union event – claims Netanyahu has pursued a systematic strategy since 1995 to eliminate Hamas and Hezbollah by targeting their supporting governments in Iraq, Iran and Syria.
“[Netanyahu’s] gotten us into endless wars and because of the power of all of this in US politics, he’s gotten his way,” Sachs says in the interview, referring to the influence of pro-Israel lobbying groups.
Trump’s aim in promoting the video was not immediately clear.
The president-elect has a history of re-posting clips and images that criticize establishment policies in Washington, but the repost comes amid intensive diplomatic efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the current US administration to broker a truce deal that would include hostage releases.
Trump’s decision to amplify Sachs’s comments also comes as he assembles what Israeli settlers are dubbing a “dream team” of hardline supporters of the state.
His pick for secretary of state, the Florida senator Marco Rubio, opposes a Gaza ceasefire and has called for Israel to “destroy every element” of Hamas. His choice for UN ambassador, the New York representative Elise Stefanik, has dismissed the United Nations as a “cesspool of antisemitism” for its criticism of civilian deaths in Gaza.
Trump’s selection for ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has rejected the common diplomatic terminology regarding occupied Palestinian territories. “There’s no such thing as a West Bank,” Huckabee said during a 2017 visit to Israel. Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, had previously said “there’s no such thing as a Palestinian”.
Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is also an evangelical Christian whose tattoos of crusader-associated symbols have raised eyebrows in diplomatic circles.
Trump himself has said there will be “hell to pay” if Hamas does not release its hostages before he takes office.
Roughly 100 hostages remain in Gaza after 15 months of conflict, with two-thirds presumed alive. More than 45,000 Palestinians are believed to have been killed since the war broke out, with a majority of the 2.3 million in Gaza displaced and enduring brutal winter weather.
The relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has historically been one of mutual benefit, though it has been unpredictable and, at times, transactional.
During Trump’s first term, he delivered significant diplomatic wins for Netanyahu, including recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights in 2019 and supporting the Abraham accords with Gulf states. This past summer, Trump hosted Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago during the prime minister’s US trip.
But when Trump lost the 2020 elections, he blasted Netanyahu for congratulating Biden, telling an Axios reporter: “I haven’t spoken to [the Israeli leader] since. Fuck him.”
Trump’s return to office could, however, prove advantageous for Netanyahu’s expansionist policies, particularly regarding settlement expansion and potential annexation in the West Bank.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to the repost.
Sachs told the Guardian that while he was not advising Trump, he hoped it signaled a shift in US foreign policy.
“I do not know Trump’s disposition on these issues, but I do very much hope that he frees US foreign policy from the grip of the cruel, ineffective, illegal and destructive policies of Netanyahu,” he said.
