Are Trump and Netanyahu Headed for a Break Up?
A Mother’s Day mailbag.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there — including mine, the first (and best) subscriber to this newsletter. Love you.
Now, let’s get down to business: answering your questions. Here are the questions we’ll be tackling this week:
What’s behind the recent tensions between Trump and Benjamin Netanuahu?
Why Trump’s approval rating matters, even if you think he’s an aspiring authoritarian
Could a Democrat create a DOGE of their own?
Why has there been so much media coverage about the new Pope?
Will I be getting a “new media” seat in the White House press room?o
And more! Let’s dive in:
Trump and Bibi
Q: Are we starting to see more daylight between Trump and Israel? Specifically the US brokering a cease fire with the Houthis and no mention of Israel even after the airport strikes.
In 2017, for his first international trip as president, Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and Israel. Eight years later, Trump is again heading to Saudi Arabia this week for the first substantial overseas voyage1 of his second term. And to Qatar. And to the United Arab Emirates.
But not Israel.
That snub is one of several signs of obvious tensions between Trump and Israel’s long-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. That may be surprising considering Trump frequently called himself the “best friend Israel has ever had” on the campaign trail, and often attacks Democrats for being insufficiently supportive of the Jewish state.
But it’s less surprising if you consider what we know about Donald Trump, and the clues he gave during the campaign.