How Bibi Got Trump to Betray U.S. Interests for Those of Israel

October, 2026

Trump has been helping a foreign country to pursue policies that violate American interests. Since that country is actually a friendly client of the U.S., not the sworn enemy of the prior post, Trump's help is branded as a betrayal rather than treason.

The betrayal culminated with Trump's decision to directly participate in Israel's blitzkrieg-plan for eradicating the Iranian regime and its nuclear capacity. On Feb 28, 2026 the duo launched a sneak attack on the Iranian leadership in Tehran. Afterwards, Trump claimed the mantle of commanding partner.

Now that the war has festered for seven months, it is abundantly clear that Trump's decision has made the U.S. worse-off economically, militarily, and politically, not to mention the collateral damage to the rest of the world. It has been a gift to America's arch enemies: Russia got a moratorium on oil sanctions and a distraction from its war crimes in Ukraine, while China got a reputational boost as well as more leeway to intimidate Taiwan and other states in the south China sea.

Here's the timeline for how the narcissist-in-chief was duped into sacrificing American interests for Netanyahu's priorities.

Netanyahu's perennial fixation has been the extermination of Iran as a military threat. He knew that this goal could not be achieved without direct participation of the U.S. military.

So, from Obama onward, he tried to convince every administration of the enormous geopolitical and security benefits that would result from a military defeat of Iran. To Bibi's dismay, Trump had campaigned on the promise to avoid military misadventures, i.e., forever wars. So, to get Trump on board, Bibi wanted to show that modern airpower could score a decisive victory in a fairly short period of time.

This was premiered on June 13, 2025, when Israel launched a sneak attack that crippled Iran's nuclear and military facilities in just 12 days. Most important, Bibi enticed Trump to directly participate in a limited but prominent way - American B2 bombers dropped massive penetrator bombs on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Trump got to brag that he had "obliterated" the sites.

However, to Bibi's chagrin, Trump used the triumph of the 12 day war as a stepping stone to negotiations. Through the fall and winter of 2025, Trump insisted publicly that he preferred a negotiated settlement.

Netanyahu was distraught by the possibility that diplomacy might succeed. If Trump were to settle for a phased roll-back of nuclear capacity, similar to Obama's deal, Netanyahu's plan for a preemptive military action would be off the table.

So Netanyahu launched a campaign to derail the diplomatic option and seduce Trump into adopting his military solution.

On December 29, 2025 he met with Trump At Mar A Lago. Netanyahu emphasized Iran's advanced missile program and its restoration of nuclear facilities as grounds for more strikes. At the post-meeting press conference, Trump agreed "if they are [rebuilding] we’re going to have to knock them down."

Then, on February 11, 2026 Netanyahu got to pitch his vision in the White House Situation Room. He told the Trump coterie that a negotiated nuclear deal which neglects Iran's missile program and proxy network would be a win for Iran. On the other hand, a jointly executed all-out aerial campaign would decimate Iran's military capacity and even overthrow its leadership.

But afterward, Trump was non-committal: "there was nothing definitive reached, other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated."

To end Trump's procrastination, more nudges were need.

So, Netanyahu enlisted two of Trump's close associates to lobby the White House while they were touring the state of Israel. Upon arriving in Israel On February 16, 2026, Senator Lindsey Graham joined Ambassador Mike Huckabee for a meeting with top Israeli officials. However, their real purpose was to publicize the message that America's policy toward Iran is perfectly aligned with Israel's, and President Trump is primed for action.

In interviews, Graham argued that allowing Iran to remain standing after months of diplomatic stalling would constitute a "strategic victory for Iran." He added that Trump would decide in "weeks, not months" whether negotiations are worth continuing. Huckabee bragged that Trump "doesn't make empty threats" and pointed to his decisive role in the 12 Day War as proof of his military mojo.

This messaging painted Trump into a corner because a decision to pursue a diplomatic settlement would look like a retreat and a betrayal, reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain. Four days later, on February 20, Trump announced that he was considering a limited military strike on Iran.

For the final and decisive nudge, Bibi played the siren song of regime change.

On February 23 he informed Trump that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his inner circle would be sitting-ducks at a known venue in Tehran on February 28, 2026, and that Israel would strike them with or without the U.S.

The narcissist-in-chief was offered the opportunity to be glorified as the great obliterator of the evil Iranian regime, a shot too enticing to resist. Ignoring warnings from his key advisors, he chose to launch a war on February 28, claiming that it was a response to an imminent threat.

Bibi had succeeded in getting Trump to subordinate American interests to those of another country. Trump willfully risked America's economic and geopolitical well being to pursue Bibi's pipe dream of regime extermination. That is a betrayal.

By now it is abundantly clear that Trump's reckless gamble has been a disaster that is still playing out. The Center for American Progress offers a cogent summary of the devastating consequences to date:

"The war continues to impose severe costs on American households, the U.S. military, the global economy, Middle East partners and civilians in the region, and America’s reputation in the world. Iran continues to retain control over the Strait of Hormuz, promising elevated energy prices for months to come...As of late July [in the U.S.], the costs of the war across military spending, higher interest rates, and higher costs for gas, groceries, and other transportation amounted to more than $1,200 per household."

(However, because to U.S. is a major oil exporter, American households have been spared the serious fuel shortages, long gas lines, industrial shut-downs and extreme prices that are prevalent across Asia).

As for the geopolitical damage, the Iran war is a gift to America's enemies: Russia enjoys a moratorium on oil sanctions and a distraction to its terroristic air war on Kiev. And China gets a reputational boost as a stable world leader, as well as more leeway to intimidate Taiwan and other states in the south China sea. Furthermore, America's dominant influence in the middle east (and elsewhere) is in the process of unwinding.