The Presidents Dropping The F-Bomb On Netanyahu

So Israel has been popular recently huh? Tensions have been running so high that even here in little New Zealand some have been catching heat. Some have even had to pay the ultimate price, namely Winston Peters’ window and his dog which was suddenly garnished in broken glass.

At the heart of all this is Benjamin Netanyahu and his relationship with the United States. Many see this partnership as the key to their continued survival in Israel, but it’s never been a particularly loving relationship, despite the United States sending them billions of dollars in pocket money every year. Such is the life of a parent. But Netanyahu may have gained a rare privilege that no one else on the planet could probably claim, getting cussed out by multiple presidents. Let’s roll the tapes.

1996, Bill Clinton

In the book “The Much Too Promised Land: America’s Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace” by presidential advisor Aaron David Miller, he recalled a moment early in Bill Clinton’s presidency, meeting Netanyahu, who was was also serving his first presidency.
“The president really didn’t like Netanyahu, at least in the beginning. During their first meeting in the summer of 1996 Bibi lectured him about the Arab-Israeli issue, prompting Clinton to ask his aides when it was over, ‘Who the fuck does he think he is? Who’s the fucking superpower here?’.”
Clinton would later warm to Netanyahu, but it took some time after that rocky introduction.

2024, Joe Biden

Obama seemed to keep his language in check, at least while any U.S. officials with aspirations for book deals were in the room. His Vice-President, and later Full Sized President Joe Biden on the other hand appeared to be auditioning for the Navy, as he often swore like a sailor.

In Bob Woodward’s book “War” Woodward related a moment when Biden didn’t drop one F bomb about Netanyahu, but two.

“Biden could be much more indignant and profane in private than he appeared in public. One Saturday afternoon during his first year as president, Biden had called a friend from the Oval Office. ‘I have spent almost five hours going back and forth, back and forth on the phone with two of the biggest fucking assholes in the world—Bibi Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas,’ he said, referring to the prime minister of Israel and the Palestinian leader.”

A few years later when the current situation in Israel and Gaza kicked off things came to a boil.

“President Biden’s frustrations and distrust of Israeli prime minister Netanyahu had been building for years and in the spring of 2024 finally erupted.

‘That son of a bitch, Bibi Netanyahu, he’s a bad guy. He’s a bad fucking guy!’ President Biden declared privately to one of his closest associates. “A bad fucking guy!
‘He doesn’t give a shit about Hamas. He gives a shit only about himself’.”

2025, Donald Trump

Trump campaigned on being a peacemaker after seeing the impotence of Biden’s ability to reign in Netanyahu. Unfortunately it seems that words are cheaper than wars. But so far it has dragged two rare F-bombs out of Trumps mouth as he’s become increasingly frustrated with the situation.
After Israel and Iran started scrapping earlier this year Trump stepped in with two Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and used bunker busters on a suspected nuclear facility. This cooled things momentarily to his satisfaction but not long at all.

“Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before. The biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel. You know, when I say, okay, now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either. But I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning because of one rocket that didn’t land, that was shot, perhaps by mistake, that didn’t land. I’m not happy about that. ”

“You know what? We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. Do you understand that?”

Perhaps the most succinct summary I have ever heard about the situation.

Now in late 2025, Trump has been driven to one last F-bomb. After what he considered a successful negotiation with Hamas to give up the Israeli hostages and possibly reach a ceasefire deal he rang Netanyahu in celebration. Netanyahu was less than thrilled with the Hamas announcement

“Bibi told Trump this is nothing to celebrate, and that it doesn’t mean anything,” an anonymous U.S. official told Axios.

“I don’t know why you’re always so f***ing negative. This is a win. Take it,” Trump responded in a quote that I will deploy from here on out to any of my pessimistic friends when they winge about their life.

The States have always been a stalwart allie of Israel, but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been lovers quarrels along the way.