Trump calls Herzog ‘disgraceful’ for refusing to pardon Netanyahu
US President Donald Trump called Israeli president Isaac Herzog “disgraceful” for refusing to pardon prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, escalating his public pressure campaign as Netanyahu’s corruption trial drags on.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, a day after hosting Netanyahu for a three-hour meeting at the White House, Trump lashed out at Herzog for refusing to absolve the prime minister, who is on trial for multiple corruption charges.
“You have a president who refuses to give him a pardon. He should be ashamed of himself. The president's got the power to give pardons. He doesn't want to do it, because I guess he loses his power... He is disgraceful for not giving it,” Trump told reporters.
US President Trump says Israeli President Herzog "should be ashamed of himself" for not pardoning Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu following the Gaza Genocide.
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It remains unclear whether Trump and Netanyahu discussed the pardon during Wednesday’s meeting. However, Netanyahu had previously urged Trump to raise the issue with Herzog.
This is not the first time that Trump has pushed for a Netanyahu pardon. During a meeting with Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago residence in December, Trump claimed that Herzog had told him he intended to pardon Netanyahu.
The claim was swiftly denied by Herzog’s office, with the Israeli president stating that no such assurance had been given.
Netanyahu formally requested a pardon from Herzog in early December, sparking widespread political and public debate, with some arguing that a pardon should only be considered if Netanyahu admits wrongdoing and withdraws from political life.
Netanyahu rejected both conditions. He has insisted he will neither confess nor resign, even if granted a pardon.
The legal review of the request is still underway as Herzog has yet to receive final recommendations from all relevant legal advisers inside the regime.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust after years of investigation.
His trial began in 2020, making him the first sitting Israeli premier in the regime’s history to testify as a criminal defendant. He faces three separate corruption cases.
Court proceedings continue, but not without controversy. Netanyahu and his legal team have sought repeated delays, at times shortening or postponing hearings. During testimony, Netanyahu has contradicted himself on several occasions.
Netanyahu is also facing international legal pressure. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for him and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the genocidal war in Gaza, where more than 72,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed since October 2023.
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