In a swipe at Benjamin Netanyahu, former President Donald Trump criticized the Israeli prime minister for being unprepared in the face of a Hamas attack and surprisingly commended the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as being "very intelligent." These comments highlight the deteriorated relationship between the two individuals, and are significant considering Trump's Republican presidential contenders have consistently sought to portray themselves as unwavering supporters of Netanyahu throughout Israel's conflict with Hamas.
"(Netanyahu) has suffered significant damage due to what has transpired here. He was caught off guard. He was unprepared, and Israel was unprepared," Trump conveyed to Brian Kilmeade of Fox News in an interview excerpt aired on Wednesday night.
Trump continued his remarks during a campaign event in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"When it comes to intelligence or discussing recent errors, there is a need for rectification as they might encounter a formidable opposition," remarked Trump on Wednesday.
The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on the Sousi Mosque in Gaza City.
Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies
Israel launches a barrage of airstrikes on Gaza while exposing Hamas' brutal actions. As for Hezbollah, Trump cautioned against fueling the ongoing conflict, acknowledging their sheer ruthlessness and cunning. "They are incredibly fierce, and they possess an intelligence beyond comparison. The level of devastation we have witnessed is truly unprecedented," he said.
The criticism represents a dramatic shift from the strong bond Trump and Netanyahu once shared, with Trump openly supporting the Israeli leader on every occasion. However, this criticism stems from Trump's deep-seated animosity towards Netanyahu since the prime minister publicly recognized Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. In the subsequent months, Trump accused Netanyahu of disloyalty and expressed his anger towards him in an interview with Axios, saying, "F*** him."
Although Trump later offered congratulations to Netanyahu after he regained power last year, sources familiar with his thoughts informed CNN that Trump's hostility towards him has not diminished. Trump continues to believe that Netanyahu should not have commented on Biden's win. During a campaign event on Wednesday night, Trump once again raised baseless claims of election fraud and insinuated that if he were still president, the Hamas attack would not have occurred.
The former president informed his supporters that if the election had not been rigged, no one would have entertained the idea of entering Israel. Additionally, he cited the United States government's action in 2020 of killing Qasem Soleimani, a prominent Iranian general, and alleged that Israel had refused to engage in the operation.
"I will never forget how Bibi Netanyahu disappointed us. It was an incredibly awful occurrence, I must admit," stated Trump.
Nonetheless, Netanyahu applauded the strike back then, asserting that it was justified due to Soleimani's intentions of carrying out additional attacks.
During his last interview with CNN in September, Netanyahu was asked about his reaction to the growing animosity from Trump. In response, the Israeli leader expressed his ability to detach from emotional fluctuations in politics and focus on the substantial actions taken by leaders and allies. He admitted that he doesn't particularly care for it and emphasized that he simply doesn't care about it. In the interview with Fox's Kilmeade, Trump refrained from commenting on whether he had been in contact with Netanyahu following the Hamas attack.
"I don't want to disclose, if you know what I mean, the individuals with whom I've had conversations. Nonetheless, I experienced profound disappointment upon realizing the possibility of an occurrence like this," expressed the ex-president.
Although the majority of potential Republican candidates for the 2024 election have generally refrained from directly criticizing Trump, a handful of contenders actively capitalized on his comments made on Wednesday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has recently intensified his criticism of Trump, shared on X, formerly known as Twitter: "(It) is ridiculous that anyone, especially someone running for president, would opt to condemn our friend and ally Israel at this moment, let alone laud Hezbollah terrorists as highly intelligent."
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed a campaign event at The Vault in Tampa, Florida on October 5, 2023. Following endorsements from 60 bipartisan Florida law enforcement officers, DeSantis engaged with the audience alongside Florida sheriffs. The event was captured by Joe Raedle in this photograph.
DeSantis criticizes Trump, stating that we should not have any more presidents who have lost their effectiveness. Former Vice President Mike Pence also disagrees with his former boss, claiming that Hezbollah is not intelligent but rather malevolent.
Pence emphasized that it is crucial for both the former president and other American leaders to convey unwavering support for Israel during this critical period. He made this statement during a recent interview on a local radio show in New Hampshire.
Although Trump's remarks regarding Netanyahu can be perceived as personal, Israeli officials have openly admitted that they were unexpectedly taken aback by the Hamas attack. Similarly, US officials have clarified that they were not aware of any intelligence suggesting that this particular type of attack would occur, just like their Israeli counterparts.
"We were taken aback this morning," said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, the international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, in an interview with CNN on Saturday. "Regarding any shortcomings, I would rather not comment at this moment. We are currently engaged in combat, fighting for our cause. I am certain that addressing these concerns will be highly significant once this incident concludes."
During his time as president, Trump was a strong advocate for Netanyahu. His actions included terminating the Iran nuclear accord in 2018 and showing support for Israel in negotiations with Palestinians. This included relocating the US Embassy to Jerusalem and endorsing the incorporation of West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements into Israel.
This story has been updated with additional information.
CNNs David Wright, Veronica Stracqualursi and Alayna Treene contributed to this report.
