Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t quite get the warm reception from President Donald Trump that he hoped for following U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, according to reporting on MSNBC.
Journalist Noga Tarnopolsky told host Katie Tur on Tuesday that Netanyahu “expected a lot more pomp and circumstance” to celebrate the bombing campaign during his White House visit and to boost his flagging popularity back in Israel.
“I think his goal, his stated goal, basically for this trip to Washington, which is his third since President Trump returned to office, was a victory lap,” Tarnopolsky said. “And I think he really expected to meet the press on the White House lawn, to shake hands, to raise, you know, high fives, maybe from the White House balcony….and instead, President Trump did receive him, did eventually accede to inviting him, but really toned the visit down.”
MAGA supporters have called Trump’s airstrikes “hypocritical,” because he campaigned on his ability to bring peace to the Middle East.
Tarnopolsky added that “from the point of view of the media, it’s been virtually a zombie visit thus far.”
The White House did agree to a one-on-one with Netanyahu, “but it’s going to be held when it’s after 11 p.m. Israel time,” Tarnopolsky said, “and my understanding is that the discussion is going to be firm…and about Gaza.”
Tarnopolsky called the visit “a discreet tussle between Prime Minister Netanyahu, who hoped for a victory lap without having to pay a price, and President Trump, who really wants to see a deliverable regarding Gaza.”
At a dinner on Monday night, Netanyahu presented Trump with a nomination for the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, saying, “President Trump is ‘forging peace as we speak, in one country and one region after the other. So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well-deserved.’”