Axios: Netanyahu to meet with Trump at the White House on April 7 to discuss tariffs
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is anticipated to arrive at the White House on Monday, April 7, and one of the discussion points with US President Donald Trump will be the potential removal of tariffs, Axios reported, referencing four anonymous sources knowledgeable about the situation.
If the visit proceeds, Netanyahu would be the inaugural foreign leader to meet Trump in person to negotiate the elimination of tariffs. The leaders are also likely to address the Iranian nuclear issue and the conflict in Gaza.
However, to proceed with the visit, Netanyahu will need to request that judges presiding over his corruption trial cancel a scheduled hearing where he was set to continue his testimony. Sources indicated that plans may still be subject to change for this reason.
The article mentions that Israel attempted to evade the tariffs that Trump imposed on nearly all nations by announcing a preemptive cancellation of all tariffs on American goods. However, this effort was unsuccessful. The 17% tariff rate that Trump established for Israel was based on a substantial bilateral trade deficit.
Trump contacted Netanyahu and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on April 3, while the latter was in Budapest. The call was initiated due to Hungary’s choice to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, but the Israeli prime minister also brought up the subject of tariffs.
The American president extended an invitation to Netanyahu for a discussion at the White House regarding the issue, without specifying a date. A few hours later, Trump informed reporters aboard Air Force One that Netanyahu would be visiting Washington shortly, “perhaps even next week.”
The announcement caught both the Israeli prime minister and his team off guard, as well as some of Trump’s aides. Initially, U.S. and Israeli officials had anticipated the visit to occur in late April, potentially during the Easter week starting April 14.
However, during talks between the White House and Netanyahu’s office on Friday, the concept of an earlier visit began to take form, according to four individuals familiar with the matter.
In addition to tariffs, Iran and the situation in the Gaza Strip are expected to be discussed.
Netanyahu perceives the likelihood of a nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran as very slim and seeks to achieve an understanding with Trump regarding the necessity of targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities should diplomacy fail, a senior Israeli official stated.
Trump and Netanyahu are also likely to explore stalled efforts to finalize a new hostage agreement and ceasefire with the Hamas organization.
- On April 2, 2025, Trump declared the implementation of new tariffs on nearly all imports entering the United States.
- Effective Saturday, April 5, the US will apply a 10% basic tariff on all imported goods.
