Netanyahu is First World Leader Invited by Trump to White House

President Donald Trump and PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Avi Ohayon/GPO) (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Researcher David May:’The immediate invitation is a strong indication of the importance Trump and his team place on the U.S.-Israel relationship.’

By Izzy Salant, JNS

U.S. President Donald Trump invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the White House on Feb. 4, the Prime Minister’s Office stated on Tuesday.

In fact, Netanyahu is the first foreign leader Trump has invited since the beginning of his second term, the PMO added.

The Republican Jewish Coalition said “the most pro-Israel president picking up right where he left off: making the U.S.-Israel relationship great again.”
Former President Joe Biden invited Netanyahu to the White House for the first time during his tenure as U.S. president on July 25, 2024—some 20 months after Netanyahu was re-elected in November 2022.

The reported visit wasn’t mentioned at the Trump administration’s first White House press briefing on Tuesday, and the administration hasn’t commented on it publicly.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told JNS that he is “very glad to see my friend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of Israel and our greatest ally in the Middle East, slated as the first state visit to Trump’s White House.”

“I look forward to working with President Trump and the prime minister on securing the release of the hostages and continuing the strategic objectives to secure the region,” Scott said.

David May, research manager and a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JNS that “Biden and Trump started their presidencies at very different points of Israeli politics.”

“When Biden took office, Israel was in the middle of a political impasse, and Bibi didn’t return to office until two years into Biden’s term. Trump started his second term with Israel at war against genocidal enemies,” May said.

That being said, the immediate invitation is a strong indication of the importance Trump and his team place on the U.S.-Israel relationship,”

Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) thanked Trump for inviting Netanyahu. “It’s crucial that America stands with our key ally, Israel, to promote security, stability and our shared democratic values in the region,” he wrote.

The Associated Press reported on Jan. 27 that Trump “teased the upcoming visit in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One, but didn’t provide scheduling details.”

“I’m going to be speaking with Bibi Netanyahu in the not-too-distant future,” he said.

An image of what appeared to be an invitation that Trump sent to Netanyahu circulated on social media. “I would like to formally invite you to the White House next week,” states the letter, dated Jan. 28 and signed by Trump.

“I look forward to discussing how we can bring peace to Israel and its neighbors, and efforts to counter our shared adversaries,” it adds. “It will be my honor to host you as my first foreign leader during my second term.”