On 2 December 2024, President-elect Donald Trump sat down for dinner with two members of Israel’s Netanyahu family. Neither were Benjamin, Israel’s prime minister. Instead, Trump dined with Sara, his wife, and Yair, his son.
Their chewing of the cud at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida was one of several discreet engagements between the upcoming Trump administration and the Israeli government, which is eager to understand what Trump has in mind for the Middle East.
After dinner, Sara posted on Instagram that she “spoke to the president about the great suffering our country went through on October 7, and the inhumanity of Hamas terrorists holding our citizens hostage under harsh conditions” and “emphasised the urgent need to act for their release and swift return”.
A few hours later, President Trump posted on his own social network, saying there would be “ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity”.
He said: “Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumane and against the will of the entire World”, adding that it was “all talk... no action”. The statement was swiftly welcomed by Benjamin.
The Trump whisperer
During a visit to Florida by Israel’s first couple in July, Trump showed a fondness for Sara, aka the “Trump whisperer”. Last month, as she stepped through the doors, her first words to the president-elect were: “We missed you.” Trump returned the compliment. “As long as I have Sarah, that’s all that matters.”
Although denied, reports suggest that relations between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (aka ‘Bibi’) may have soured in recent years. It is known that Trump blamed Netanyahu for pulling Israel out of the operation to kill Iranian general Qasem Soleimani at the last-minute on 3 January 2020, leaving Washington to pull the trigger and take the risks.
