Trump Under Fire from GOP Rivals for Criticizing Israel

Several of Donald Trump's Republican rivals have denounced him for criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Several of former President Donald Trump's Republican rivals denounced him on Thursday for lashing out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu days after Hamas' deadly attack, a rare moment in which multiple competitors directly criticized the GOP front-runner.

Trump's Criticism of Israel

Trump, at a rally Wednesday night, said Netanyahu "let us down" just before the U.S. killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020. He also said Israeli leaders needed to "step up their game" and referred to Hezbollah, the group Israel fears may launch a large-scale attack from the country's north, as "very smart."

In an interview that aired Thursday, he added to his criticism, saying Netanyahu "was not prepared for the deadly weekend incursion from Gaza.

Republican Rivals Condemn Trump's Remarks

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of Trump's 2024 rivals, echoed denunciations from the White House and elsewhere, saying, "Now is not the time to be attacking our ally."

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, another GOP presidential contender, compared Trump's comments to a foreign ally criticizing the U.S. in the aftermath of 9/11 or the attack on Pearl Harbor.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott said, "We cannot accept a single message to any of the enemies of Israel" that U.S. and Israeli leaders are at odds.

Trump's Relationship with Netanyahu

Trump and Netanyahu were close allies for years, but the former president turned on the embattled Israel leader after Netanyahu congratulated then-President-elect Biden for winning the 2020 election while Trump was still trying to overturn the results.

According to the author of a book about his Middle East peace efforts, Trump used an expletive to describe Netanyahu and said he believed the Israeli leader never really wanted to make peace.

Impact on GOP Primary and General Election

It remains unclear how the new war in the Middle East might impact both the GOP primary, which will begin in three months in Iowa, or the general election.

While the war in Israel was not top of mind for many of the Republican primary voters who gathered at the New Hampshire statehouse on Thursday to see DeSantis, several were aware of Trump's comments.

One of them, 34-year-old Republican Melissa Blasek, of Merrimack, said it was another example of why she had lost faith in the former president.

"I don't really know what he meant. It was very rambling. What's clear is that this is not the Trump of 2016. He is not the same candidate … And so things sound less coherent. And I am tired of incoherency. I like an articulate and coherent president."