Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu momentarily confused U.S. President Donald Trump with his predecessor, Joe Biden, during a press conference Sunday, before quickly correcting himself with a dry, “There is a certain difference.”
The slip came as Netanyahu was addressing Israeli reporters about military operations in Gaza, stressing that Israel does not seek an American “green light” for defensive actions but values U.S. support.
“I am grateful and full of appreciation for our great friend, President Biden…” he began, prompting someone in the audience to interject. Realizing the mistake, Netanyahu laughed, corrected himself — “President Trump, in this case” — and went on to praise Trump’s “wonderful” conduct, apparently referencing U.S. participation in June’s 12-day war with Iran.
The gaffe drew swift attention on social media, with some attributing it to Netanyahu’s years of close engagement with Biden, while others saw it as a minor embarrassment given Trump’s outspoken backing of Israel’s current policies.
The slip follows an NBC News report that Trump and Netanyahu clashed in a July 28 phone call after Trump pushed back on Netanyahu’s public denial that children in Gaza were starving. The U.S. president reportedly told Netanyahu he had seen images showing “real starvation” and said, “you can’t fake that,” rejecting Netanyahu’s claim that Hamas had fabricated the crisis.
Netanyahu’s office has denied that the exchange turned into a shouting match, while the White House has not commented on the specifics of the call. U.S. officials say the conversation was a “direct, mostly one-way” discussion, with Trump pressing Israel to ease humanitarian access.
