Trump calls for cancellation of Netanyahu’s corruption trial

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Israel to cancel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial or issue a pardon, claiming the United States “saved” Netanyahu just as it had saved Israel.

Netanyahu, who has denied all allegations, was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. His trial, which began in 2020 and centers on three separate criminal cases, has been ongoing in a Tel Aviv court. He has pleaded not guilty.

“Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a pardon given to a great hero who has done so much for the State of Israel,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. He said he had learned Netanyahu was scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

According to Israeli media, cross-examination of Netanyahu began on June 3 and is expected to continue for approximately a year.

While Israeli President Isaac Herzog has the authority to grant a pardon, he has reportedly stated that no such request has been submitted and that a pardon is “not currently on the table.”

Trump described Netanyahu as a “warrior” and claimed, “It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu.” The remark was widely interpreted as a reference to U.S. support for Israeli operations, including strikes on Iran’s nuclear program.

It remains unclear whether Trump was suggesting any specific course of action the U.S. could take to assist Netanyahu in his legal challenges.

Trump also labeled the Israeli legal proceedings a “witch hunt,” echoing the term he frequently uses to describe his own legal battles in the United States.

His strong defense of Netanyahu stood in contrast to critical comments made the day before, when he condemned Israeli strikes on Iran following a ceasefire agreement.

“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before — the biggest load we’ve seen. I'm not happy with Israel,” Trump told reporters.

He added that Iran and Israel had been in conflict for so long that “they don’t know what the [expletive] they’re doing.”