Updated Dec. 29, 2025, 3:11 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump said Israeli President Isaac Herzog informed him that he plans to pardon Benjamin Netanyahu amid the Israeli prime minister’s long-running corruption trial ‒ a claim that Herzog’s office quickly denied.
“I spoke to the president, and he tells me it’s on its way,” Trump said on Dec. 29, addressing reporters alongside Netanyahu before the two men met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
“He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?” Trump said. “I think it’s a very hard thing not to do.”
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, has been on trial since 2020 after being indicted in three cases, including allegations of receiving nearly 700,000 shekels ($211,832) in gifts from businessmen. Netanyahu has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Israeli president’s office, however, denied that any decisions have been made and claimed Herzog and Trump have not spoken to each other in the weeks since Netanyahu on Nov. 30 formally requested a pardon for his bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges.
“There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted,” Herzog’s office said in a statement.
“Several weeks ago, a conversation took place between President Herzog and a representative on behalf of President Trump, who inquired about the U.S. President’s letter,” the statement continued, referring to a Nov. 12 letter from Trump to Herzog urging him to consider a pardon for Netanyahu.
“During that conversation, an explanation was provided regarding the stage of the process in which the request currently stands, and that any decision on the matter will be made in accordance with the established procedures. This was conveyed to President Trump’s representative, exactly as President Herzog stated publicly in Israel,” the statement said.
Trump has repeatedly called for a pardon for Netanyahu, a close ally, including during an address to Israel’s parliament in October, when Trump visited Israel to mark the completion of the first phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
In his Nov. 12 letter to Herzog, Trump wrote, “While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution.”
Trump and Netanyahu showered each other with praise before their Mar-a-Lago meeting got underway. Trump touted U.S. airstrikes he ordered on Iranian nuclear sites in June and his administration’s efforts to secure a Gaza peace deal that included the return of Israeli hostages.
“We’ve never had a friend like President Trump in the White House. It’s not even close,” Netanyahu said. “I think Israel is very blessed to have President Trump leading the United States.”
Contributing: Reuters
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