The President of the United States (US) Donald Trump has pushed back against Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu’s objections to a possible F-35 fighter jet sale to Türkiye, telling reporters aboard Air Force One, “Nobody tells me what we should be selling.”
Trump praised Türkiye as a “tremendous ally” and spoke warmly of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling him a “friend” and crediting him with handling regional issues, including Syria, well.
While noting that Ankara holds little favour for Israel or Netanyahu, Trump stressed that ties between Washington DC and Ankara remain solid. He also praised Türkiye’s armed forces directly, describing the country as having a “very powerful” and “very big” military.
Trump had already signaled openness to reversing the suspension at the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) summit held in Türkiye in July, where he said that he would give the idea serious thought and framed Ankara as more dependable than several other allies.
Erdogan later said that Trump has shown a “positive approach” toward the jet deal moving forward.
The comments align with earlier reports suggesting Trump had grown irritated by Netanyahu’s public criticism of the proposed sale.
