President Donald Trump responded to questions from reporters regarding the reaction of an Israeli crowd during a recent speech in Tel Aviv, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was booed and Trump received enthusiastic cheers. The remarks were made while Trump was on Air Force One en route to Bedminster, New Jersey, after departing the White House for a trip to Tel Aviv and the Middle East.
During a rally in Tel Aviv, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff addressed the crowd. When Witkoff mentioned Netanyahu’s name, the audience responded with boos, but when he mentioned Trump, the crowd reportedly erupted with cheers and shouts of “Thank you, Trump!” Trump had been involved in negotiating a ceasefire and securing the release of Israeli and American hostages held by Hamas.
When Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked for Trump’s reaction to the differing responses for himself and Netanyahu, Trump replied, “I don’t know, but we’re going to make everybody happy.” He continued: “The one thing I can tell you is everybody is happy, whether it’s Jewish, or Muslim, or the Arab countries, every country is dancing in the streets. And it’s a point in time I don’t think you’d ever see it again. They’ve never seen it for 3,000 years. If you like one group, you don’t like the other group, and if you like the other group, you don’t like the first group. And this is the first time they’ve ever seen where everybody is unified because, as you know, we’re going to Egypt after Israel, and we’re going to meet all of the leaders of the very powerful and big countries and very rich countries and others, and they’re all into this deal. Everybody’s into it. It’s never happened before. So I would say this is a lot tougher, but we’ll see how it all works out.”
A BBC reporter also questioned Trump about the Israeli crowd’s response to Netanyahu. Trump said: “I also saw the crowd cheer when he mentioned Trump, like, really cheer. It’s an honor.” He added: “As I said, I think Bibi did a great job. I had some words with him a couple of times, where I didn’t agree,” describing Netanyahu as “the right guy at the right time.”
Asked about concerns that peace might not last if Israel violates another ceasefire agreement after hostages are released, Trump stated: “I’m not worried about anything. I think we have a great deal, and it’s a great deal for everybody. You know, a great deal was a deal where everybody’s happy, and every country they’re dancing in the streets. That’s a great deal. It’s a unique— it’s a unique period in time.”
Trump’s trip to the region includes plans to sign off on Phase One of his 20-point peace plan between Israel and Hamas.
