Trump warmly greets Netanyahu, wife at Mar-a-Lago, shows bullet wound
Former President Donald Trump gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a warm greeting Friday afternoon at Mar-a-Lago, giving his wife a kiss and embracing the Jewish leader before showing him where he was shot in the ear weeks ago.
Trump, 78, opened his arms to embrace the Netanyahus, saying, “Come on in, nice to see you.”
The GOP nominee then kissed Sara Netanyahu on both cheeks and pulled in the prime minister for a firm handshake.
“The greatest dinner I ever had,” Trump said to the Jewish leader.
Inside Mar-a-Lago, the former president showed Netanyahu the bullet wound on his ear where he was shot by a gunman in Butler, Pa., on June 13.
Trump survived the assassination attempt and wore a bandage to cover his ear after the shooting.
Trump and Netanyahu had a close relationship during the former president’s term in the White House. Their relationship hit some snags after the prime minister congratulated President Biden for winning the 2020 election, which prompted Trump to say, “I haven’t spoken to him since” and “F–k him” at the time.
But the relationship has since been thawing.
Netanyahu specifically touted Trump’s support of Israel during his congressional speech on Tuesday.
“I want to thank President Trump for his leadership in brokering the historic Abraham Accords. Like Americans, Israelis were relieved that President Trump emerged safe and sound from that dastardly attack on him, dastardly attack on American democracy. There is no room for political violence in democracies,” the Israeli leader said.
Trump said in the Mar-a-Lago meeting that if he were to win another term in office, “it’s all going to work out and very quickly.”
“If we don’t, you’re going to end up with major wars in the Middle East and maybe a Third World War. You are closer to a Third World War right now than at any time since the Second World War. You’ve never been so close because you have incompetent people running our country,” Trump said to the press.
The Trump meeting comes on the heels of Netanyahu arriving in Washington on Monday and not being met by President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris.
Neither Harris nor Biden attended his congressional speech on Tuesday, which was marred by protests outside the Capitol by Union Station, where anti-Israel demonstrators were burning American flags and announcing their support for Hamas.
Both Biden and Harris, who is now the presumptive Democratic nominee, met with Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday.
Biden, 81, expressed his desire for Israel to reach a deal with Hamas to release hostages and achieve a cease-fire “as soon as possible.”
The president did not offer any flattering remarks to Netanyahu before their meeting.
“Welcome back, Mr. Prime Minister, we got a lot to talk about, I think we should get to it — the floor is yours,” Biden said, shaking his hand.
Harris, after skipping the congressional speech to attend an event with her sorority, slammed the Jewish state leader over Israel’s approach to the Gaza Strip, saying she will not “remain silent” on the number of civilian casualties — while pledging “unwavering” support for Israel.
“What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating — the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” she said after her first meeting with the Israeli leader since becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies. We cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering and I will not be silent.”
