WSJ reports Trump's remarks on Netanyahu

President Donald Trump used profanity and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of jeopardizing U.S. diplomacy in a heated June 1 phone call about Israel’s military moves in Lebanon, according to Axios, which cited two U.S. officials and a third source briefed on the exchange. Trump later described the same call as “very productive” in a Truth Social post, saying Netanyahu had agreed there would be “no troops going to Beirut” and that Hezbollah had agreed to halt fire. Axios said Trump’s outburst came as Iran threatened to walk away from negotiations with Washington over Israel’s actions in Lebanon. Time, citing Axios, reported Trump called Netanyahu “f-cking crazy” and warned that Israel’s moves could upend efforts to reach a preliminary understanding with Iran. ### What did Trump reportedly say to Netanyahu? Axios reported that Trump told Netanyahu, “You’re fucking crazy,” and accused him of ingratitude during the June 1 call. The outlet said Trump also delivered a more personal warning, telling Netanyahu, “You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass,” according to a U.S. official cited by Axios. (axios.com) Time, summarizing the Axios report, said another source briefed on the call described Trump as “pissed” and quoted him asking Netanyahu, “What the f-ck are you doing?” The same report said Trump believed Israel’s planned response in Lebanon was disproportionate even if it was presented as retaliation for Hezbollah attacks. (axios.com) ### What set off the call on June 1? Iran’s threat on June 1 to abandon talks with the United States was a central trigger for the confrontation, according to Axios. The outlet said Trump was trying to prevent Israel’s escalation in Lebanon from wrecking a U.S. diplomatic track with Tehran. Trump’s public comments the same day tied the call to Beirut directly. (time.com) In posts quoted by the Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post, Trump said there would be “no troops going to Beirut” and that any troops “on their way” had been turned back after his conversation with Netanyahu. Israeli military sources told the Times of Israel that no troops had actually been en route to Beirut, contradicting Trump’s account. (axios.com) ### How did Trump describe the call in public? Truth Social posts on June 1 presented the exchange as a diplomatic success, not a blowup. Trump wrote that he had a “very productive call” with Netanyahu and separately claimed to have had a “very good call” through “highly placed representatives” with Hezbollah, according to the Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post. (timesofisrael.com) Those public statements differed sharply from the private version described by Axios. The contrast is the core of the story circulating on X on June 1 and June 2: a profane private warning followed by a public account emphasizing de-escalation and agreement. That framing is based on the gap between Trump’s Truth Social posts and the Axios account of the call. (timesofisrael.com) ### Was this reporting from The Wall Street Journal? The social posts that drove attention to the story referred to The Wall Street Journal, but the report that is publicly verifiable from available coverage on June 2 is Axios’s account by Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo. Search results also show The Wall Street Journal had separate June 2 coverage by Alexander Ward on Trump’s effort to end the Lebanon conflict, but the specific profane quotes now circulating are attributed in accessible reporting to Axios and to follow-on reports citing Axios. (axios.com) ### What happens next? June 2 coverage from the Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post said Israel had postponed planned strikes on Beirut after Trump’s intervention, while Hezbollah fire and Israeli strikes were still being reported into early Tuesday. Trump’s Truth Social posts, the Axios report, and follow-up coverage by other outlets are likely to remain the main public record unless the White House, Netanyahu’s office or The Wall Street Journal publishes additional details. (muckrack.com) (timesofisrael.com)