Trump Says He Could Host Israel’s Netanyahu as Early as Next Week

In a July 4 interview, the U.S. president said he could meet with the Israeli prime minister after returning from a NATO summit in Turkey next week.

President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

U.S. President Donald Trump could host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House as early as next week, Trump said in an interview with Axios on July 4.

Trump told Axios that Netanyahu asked him for the meeting. The president said he could make time for such a visit after returning from the NATO summit in Turkey, which will take place on July 7 and 8.

In a press statement, Netanyahu’s office confirmed he and Trump spoke on July 3, and the two leaders agreed to meet in the United States in the near future, but did not specify a more precise timeline.

Netanyahu last visited the White House in February, just weeks before U.S. and Israeli forces commenced joint military operations against Iran. Trump has since entered into a memorandum of understanding with Iran, to facilitate negotiations toward a long-term settlement of the conflict.

A persistent sticking point of recent U.S.–Iranian dialogues has been Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah, a terrorist group aligned with Iran. In an interview last month, Trump indicated he had castigated Netanyahu for the Israeli military campaign in Lebanon in a previous phone call.

On June 26, the U.S., Israeli, and Lebanese governments signed a trilateral agreement that would see Israeli ground forces gradually withdraw from Lebanese territory, while the Lebanese government works to disarm Hezbollah.

The Trump administration has rebuffed broader Israeli criticism of the memorandum of understanding with Iran. In a White House press briefing on June 18, Vice President JD Vance said Israel has few powerful allies other than the United States.

In his latest interview with Axios, Trump said he and Netanyahu get along well and Netanyahu “knows who the boss is.”

Trump also discussed continuing negotiations with Iran.

He said he has been closely monitoring the long-delayed funeral proceedings for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former ruling Shia Muslim cleric, who was killed on the first day of joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on Feb. 28.

“They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with,” Trump told Axios.

The president also said Tehran is “begging to make a deal,” but noted U.S. and Iranian negotiators had mutually agreed to hold off on another round of talks until Khamenei’s funeral proceedings had ended.

U.S. and Iranian forces traded fire last week, and the last round of negotiations played out through mediators from Qatar and Pakistan.