Trump: ‘I fought for Israel like no president ever before’

Former President Trump argued during a speech Monday in Adel, Iowa, that he had “fought for Israel like no president ever before” — comments that came less than a week after he criticized the country’s prime minister.

“So I fought for Israel like no president ever before recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which is a big deal. And [I] even recognized Israel sovereignty over the Golan Heights, something that they never even thought — we gave them that,” Trump said.

The former president’s remarks came days after he sparked pushback after criticizing Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent speech and interview.

He argued that Netanyahu “let us down” during the U.S.’s operation to assassinate a top Iranian military official after, he recounted, Israel said it would no longer be participating in the attack, according to The Associated Press.  

He added to the criticism Thursday during an interview with Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade.

“We have to protect Israel, there’s no choice,” Trump said. “And why do we have to do it? [Netanyahu] has been hurt very badly because of what’s happened here. He was not prepared. He was not prepared, and Israel was not prepared. And under Trump, they wouldn’t have had to be prepared.”

Trump sought to reverse himself last Friday by praising Israel’s military following pushback, saying in a post on Truth Social that “I have always been impressed by the skill and determination of the Israeli Defence Forces.”

But his 2024 rivals used his comments to attack Trump on Israel.

“Terrorists have murdered at least 1,200 Israelis and 22 Americans and are holding more hostage, so it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel, much less praise Hezbollah terrorists as ‘very smart,’” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Trump’s remarks Monday referenced actions he took during his presidency that were backed by Netanyahu.

In 2017, Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, with the U.S. Embassy moving from Tel Aviv. Previous administrations in both parties have refused to take this step amid opposition from Arab nations given Jerusalem’s importance to Islam.

In 2019, Trump formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights — another stark shift from past U.S. foreign policy. The Golan Heights were taken and annexed by Israel from Syria and had not been internationally recognized as Israel’s territory.