Trump Asked Netanyahu If He Actually Cares About Peace

on February 15, 2017 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 15: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) answer questions during a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House February 15, 2017 in... WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 15: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) answer questions during a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House February 15, 2017 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted Prime Minister Netanyahu for talks for the first time since Trump took office on January 20. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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During a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year, President Donald Trump asked him if he actually cared about Mideast peace, Axios reported Sunday.

According to three sources familiar with the call who spoke with Axios, White House aides were shocked by the inquiry, which came out of a conversation that was mostly friendly and complimentary. Trump at the time had reportedly read news articles about Netanyahu’s plans to build more settlement to make his conservative base happy, but Trump told him he was “unnecessarily angering the Palestinians” and asked whether he genuinely cared about striking a peace deal, according to Axios.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Axios that Trump has “great relationships” with many foreign leaders, but that “doesn’t mean he can’t be aggressive when it comes to negotiating what’s best for America.”

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