US President Donald Trump demanded Thursday that President Isaac Herzog immediately pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Herzog a “disgrace,” in his latest heated intervention on behalf of the prime minister in his corruption trial.
Herzog’s office responded that his decision on a pardon will be made without external input.
Trump’s comments to Axios by phone were part of his latest round of interviews during the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. He also said Thursday that he needs to be involved personally in selecting Iran’s next leader, and voiced support for a Kurdish offensive against Iran.
Trump told Axios that Herzog must give Netanyahu a pardon “today,” explaining that he doesn’t want Netanyahu to be bothered by any issue other than the ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against the Iranian regime.
The US president claimed he’s raised the matter with the Israeli president for a year, and that Herzog promised him five times that he would pardon Netanyahu. Trump added that he is refusing to meet Herzog until he gives Netanyahu a pardon. There have been no reported efforts by Herzog to meet with Trump.
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Trump claimed Herzog has been holding the issue over Netanyahu’s head for a year, even though Netanyahu only requested a pardon in November. Netanyahu has consistently denied wrongdoing in the three corruption cases for which he is on trial, claiming he has been framed by the police and state prosecution.
President Isaac Herzog visits the scene where a ballistic missile fired from Iran struck Beit Shemesh, central Israel, causing extensive destruction and killing at least nine people, March 2, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Trump has been calling for Netanyahu to be pardoned since June 2025, the last time Israel and Iran fought a war. The Prime Minister’s Office has denied that Netanyahu asked the US president to take up the issue.
Thursday marked the second time Trump has attacked Herzog over the issue in less than a month, after he said in February that Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Netanyahu, who is standing trial for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Trump also asked Herzog to pardon Netanyahu when addressing the Knesset in October. There, the US president said, in reference to the gifts Netanyahu allegedly illicitly received, “Who cares about cigars and champagne?”
US President Donald Trump speaks at the Knesset in Jerusalem on October 13, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla / POOL / AFP)
In response to Trump’s comments on Thursday, the President’s Residence issued a statement praising the US president, but stressing Herzog’s prerogative to decide for himself on whether to grant Netanyahu a pardon.
“President Herzog greatly respects and appreciates the tremendous contribution of Donald Trump to Israel’s security. He views him as the leader of the free world, a central ally of Israel, and particularly values his firm stance against Iran,” the statement said.
Herzog’s office noted that Israel “is a sovereign state governed by the rule of law,” and as such, the pardon request is currently being dealt with by the Justice Ministry, which will offer its legal opinion, as per the law.
“After the process is completed, the president will examine the request according to the law, the good of the country, and according to his conscience, without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind,” his office added.
Illustrative: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the courtroom of the Tel Aviv District Court in the trial against him, October 28, 2025. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Netanyahu is on trial in three corruption cases. He faces charges of fraud and breach of trust in Case 1000 and Case 2000, and charges of bribery, as well as fraud and breach of trust, in Case 4000.
In Case 1000, he is charged with fraud and breach of trust surrounding allegations that he and his wife Sara received expensive gifts illicitly from Hollywood media mogul Arnon Milchan, worth some NIS 700,000 ($212,000), and that Netanyahu violated conflict of interest laws when he provided Milchan with assistance in renewing his long-term US residency visa and sought to help him with tax issues.
In Case 2000, the prime minister is accused of fraud and breach of trust over his alleged attempt to reach a quid pro quo agreement with the publisher of the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Arnon (Noni) Mozes, whereby Yedioth would give the prime minister more positive media coverage in exchange for legislation weakening its key rival, the Israel Hayom free sheet.
Case 4000, also known as the Bezeq-Walla case, is the most serious case the prime minister faces, in which he is accused of authorizing regulatory decisions that financially benefited Bezeq telecommunications giant shareholder Shaul Elovitch to the tune of hundreds of millions of shekels. In return, Netanyahu allegedly received favorable media coverage from the Walla news site, which Elovitch also owned.
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