- Israeli PM Netanyahu cancelled his US trip after no confirmed meeting with Trump
- White House never added Netanyahu meeting to Trump's schedule, officials told Axios
- Netanyahu angered Trump by criticizing F-35 jet sale to Turkey on Fox News
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly cancelled his planned trip to the United States next week after the White House overlooked his request to schedule his meeting with US President Donald Trump. It's unclear whether Netanyahu received a clear "no" regarding the meeting request, but he certainly did not receive a positive response from Team Trump, according to a report by Axios.
The development comes amid reports suggesting a growing distance and diverging interests of 'friends' Trump and Netanyahu, who started the war against Iran together.
White House officials told Axios that while the Israeli PM wanted to meet Trump, a meeting was never confirmed or added to the president's schedule. "Our impression was that Bibi (Netanyahu's nickname) was trying to will a meeting into existence," officials said.
'Trump Is Pissed At Netanyahu'
The back-and-forth over the potential meeting came days after the Israeli leader went on Fox News before Trump's trip to Ankara and criticised the US leader's intention to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
Trump was "pissed off" by the interview, a White House official told Axios. Another official claimed that the US commander-in-chief felt "Bibi had no right" to weigh in on that issue.
Furthermore, while Trump was in Turkey, Tel Aviv approached Washington with supposed intelligence about a possible Iranian 'kill plot' against the US president while he was in Ankara. The intelligence has prompted the Secret Service to take precautions such as switching Trump's flight to the old Air Force One.
But later, several US officials said the information was single-sourced and uncorroborated. "It was more aspirational than operational," an official said.
The Turkish security services have also reportedly investigated the issue and found there was no specific plot to assassinate Trump in Ankara.
Netanyahu's Growing Unpopularity
This has added to Netanyahu's growing unpopularity in Washington. In recent days, several US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, have accused the Israeli PM of making rosy predictions about the Iran war to Trump that didn't pan out.
Appearing on Joe Rogan's podcast, the US vice president accused members of Netanyahu's government of trying to undermine the Trump administration's Iran policy in order to prolong the war.
Moreover, as many as 103 House Democrats this week voted to cut $3 billion in US aid to Israel in an astonishing rebuke against Netanyahu and his government.
