This column is intended primarily for the eyes of the honorable President of the United States, Donald J. Trump — Israel’s greatest friend — and I hope it reaches him via the many Jewish readers of The Jerusalem Post and Maariv. It is a message of gratitude and hope, laced with deep concern.
Mr. President, people say you are crazy, impulsive, unpredictable — I think you’re a kind of genius. It’s clear you enjoy keeping people guessing, but every move and every word of yours is calculated, like a good businessman. Sometimes the strategy is only in your head, sometimes shared with your advisors — but never random.
I know you truly love the State of Israel, and for that, the Jewish people owe you a debt of gratitude. You’ve begun to fulfill the promises you made before the election. You rearmed the IDF with critical munitions that your predecessor, under pressure from his vice president, had withheld. And you’ve used your immense power to advance the release of Israeli hostages, including Eli Sharabi and his brother Sharon. I will return to that.
As a leader, especially the leader of the greatest and strongest country in the world, you took a side: the right and moral one in the Middle East conflict. You made clear, in words and deeds, that antisemitism will find no shelter under your watch.
You taught a lesson to elite American universities, now overrun with antisemitic rhetoric and often funded by Islamist interests. Had a bold, determined leader like you arisen in the 1940s, I believe six million Jews, including my own grandparents and uncles, might have been spared from the Nazi death machine. Today’s Nazi regime is the Iranian ayatollah dictatorship, the engine of global Islamist terror.
In your hands, Mr. President, lies the power to reshape the Middle East and the world — to crush the Islamist barbarians who treat human life as disposable. In doing so, you would bring peace to the people of Zion and to the world’s only Jewish state, surrounded by 22 Arab states and 57 Muslim-majority countries, some of which seek to erase our tiny homeland.
Concern about Trump's decision to engage in Iran talks
But alongside your bold and inspiring actions, I am deeply concerned about your decision to engage in talks with the devil himself: Iran. The regime’s explicit goal is the destruction of Israel, and its real goal — unspoken — is the destruction of all Jews and Christians. No phrase suits you better than this one: If you want to shoot — shoot. Don’t talk.
As always, the Iranians are lying. They lie to your envoys in Rome and Oman. They lie about their nuclear ambitions, which they falsely claim are peaceful. In truth, they are on the brink of acquiring a bomb. They are masters of negotiation. Every day you wait brings them closer. No agreement, no inspection — no matter how close or tight — will stop them from deceiving the world. This is their life’s mission. Even the IAEA now admits Iran is very close to a nuclear weapon.
You must act quickly and decisively — and you are a man of action. Do not believe them. Do not trust them. Do not allow them to buy more time. Do not sign anything. Any such deal would be a worthless scrap of paper they will find religious justification to break — and will only serve to mock you. This is what they did to Barack Obama, under whom Iran’s nuclear program blossomed. Show them that Donald J. Trump cannot be fooled.
Mr. President, I want to believe your negotiations with Iran are part of a broader plan. But after you’ve sent an arsenal of firepower to the region — it’s time to act. Destroy the Iranian nuclear program physically, not diplomatically.
Take down the murderous regime that finances global terror, including the October 7 massacre of thousands of Israelis. Free the Iranian people — they want a better life. Free Israel. Free the world. History will remember you as the man who saved it from disaster and paved the way for peace and prosperity.
Trump's friendship with Turkey’s president is worrying
Another worrying move concerns your friendship with Turkey’s president. With all due respect, I won’t tell you who your friends should be. But it’s important you understand the Turkish people are wonderful — pro-democracy, secular, and largely supportive of Israel. Their president, however, is a radical Islamist and declared enemy of Israel.
He supports Hamas terrorists, gives them safe haven, and allows them to plot attacks from within Turkey. No wonder the Turkish people are rising against him. I understand your relationship with Erdoğan may be a strategic calculation — but don’t let Turkey gain a foothold in Syria. Israel needs a security perimeter not just in Gaza but also in Syria and Lebanon.
And since we are speaking openly, Mr. President, allow me one piece of advice from within Israel. Netanyahu — who seems to be trying to imitate you, poorly — won’t be in power much longer. He’s selling our country to parasitic religious extremists who avoid army service, don’t study core curriculum, don’t work, and promote messianic ideas — all so he can survive politically. You’ll be around long after him. I hope you can serve a third term and be the first US president since Grover Cleveland to do so. Cleveland, of course, wasn’t re-elected consecutively. You will challenge history.
For that reason, I suggest you meet soon with the leaders of Israel’s opposition. One of them will be our next prime minister. Pay particular attention to Avigdor Liberman — experienced, tough, and ready. (Disclosure: I worked with him, and we remain friends.)
In my 36 years in strategic consulting, I can say he is the best prepared to replace Netanyahu, to heal our internal wounds, and to project true strength to our enemies. I’m convinced that after one meeting, you’ll see the difference between a real leader and Netanyahu.
A bit of context: Had Liberman been prime minister, October 7 would never have happened. Back in 2016, as defense minister, he predicted that exact scenario and demanded action to eliminate Hamas leadership. He resigned in 2018 when Netanyahu ignored his warnings and funneled Qatari money to Hamas.
As finance minister in the unity government, Liberman took a 144-billion-shekel deficit and turned it into a surplus of 10.6 billion in just over a year. He’s the right man to bring Israel back to sanity — and greatness.
Trump must continue efforts to bring home all of the hostages
But first and foremost, Mr. President, continue your efforts to bring home all 59 of our hostages, alive and all at once. This won’t happen without your pressure. Netanyahu knows only a ceasefire will free them all. But he’s afraid his extremist coalition partners will topple him. Tragically, that fear seems to drive his decisions, even as the hostages rot in Hamas tunnels under inhumane conditions.
As long as the war continues, Netanyahu can avoid scrutiny, delay his trial, evade elections, and escape a national inquiry. But Hamas will give us more reasons to strike. Better to do so only after every hostage is home.
Mr. President — thank you for everything you’ve done, are doing, and will do.
The writer is a strategic communications advisor at Levin Communications.