NewsUS NewsDonald TrumpThe US president denied claims Netanyahu manipulated him in starting a war with Iran, and said Israel would not exist without him.13:51, 03 Jun 2026Updated 14:06, 03 Jun 2026Donald Trump confirmed he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "f***ing crazy" during a heated phone call earlier this week, and denied accusations that he was manipulated by the Israelis into starting a war with Iran.‌“He tricked me? I’m the one that started it,” Trump told the New York Post in an interview on Wednesday.‌“I don’t want to bore anybody, but I started [the war with Iran] because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. Now, that pertains to Israel because they probably would have been the first one to get hit," he added.‌"I’ll tell you what, if it wasn’t for me there would be no Israel right now.”Elsewhere in the interview, Trump confirmed that he snapped at Netanyahu during a heated phone call earlier this week, calling the Israeli leader "stupid" and "unhinged" before telling him "You're fucking crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your a**. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."‌When asked to clarify if he spoke to Netanyau in those terms, Trump said: “I did. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon. You know, at some point I said maybe we got to stop this. We got to stop it.”Despite this, Trump insisted he and Netanyahu have a “very good relationship” and that they “work very well together.”“I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” Trump said. “I’m a wartime president, he’s a wartime prime minister…and I think we’ve done very well. “We've gotten along very well together.”‌Trump also shot down claims made by Democrats that he was manipulated by Netanyahu into starting a war with Iran, dismissing his critics as "Dumbocrats" who "want transgender for everybody."The president's explosive language was first reported by US outlet Axios on Monday and was met initially met with disbelief by some defenders of Israel.Following news of Trump's outburst, conservative commentator Mark Levin claimed the leak was "a violation of federal law" that "provided support to the Iranian regime and its Hezbollah proxy," and demanded the FBI launch an investigation.Article continues belowThis is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link . You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News , Flipboard , Apple News , TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage .Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌Donald TrumpNew York Post CompanyBenjamin NetanyahuIran