Joe Biden has privately ripped Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu as a “bad f–king guy” as the Gaza war rages and negatively affects the president’s reach with young voters, well-placed sources say in a new report.
Biden has grown suspicious of the Israeli prime minister as the conflict nears its fourth month, deriding Netanyahu with the comment and saying the PM is all too eager to drag the US into an all-out war against Iran-backed terror groups in the Middle East, sources who have talked with the president told Politico.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement that Biden has never made such a remark and that the president and Netanyahu enjoy “a decades-long relationship that is respectful in public and in private.”
Despite the White House’s response, the two leaders have repeatedly butted heads over the war, with tensions reaching an all-time high in December when Biden allegedly hung up on Netanyahu during a heated call.
Biden and Netanyahu have bickered over the need to limit civilian casualties in Gaza, with the death toll exceeding 27,000 on Sunday, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry there. The pair also disagree over what the Palestinian enclave should look like after the battle concludes.
Still, Biden has remained vocal about America’s support for Israel despite projections that the war will likely continue throughout 2024 and to the chagrin of his Democratic base.
The latest New York Times-Siena Poll shows that Biden is falling short of Donald Trump among young voters, with 49% of registered voters between the ages of 18 and 29 choosing the Republican over 43% opting for the incumbent Democratic president before their expected November match-up.
Overall, the poll saw 46% of voters choosing Trump and 44% picking Biden if they were to elect a candidate today.
Many political observers have speculated that the war in Gaza is the chief reason why Biden is trailing Trump.
“This is a disaster politically,” a House Democrat told Politico of the conflict, which began Oct. 7 when the Palestinian terror group Hamas attacked Israel. “The base is really pissed — and it’s not just the leftists. I have never seen such a depth of anguish as I’ve seen over this Gaza issue.”
The Democrat claimed Netanyahu is “toxic” to many Democratic voters, and the source urged Biden to push Israel to accept a truce deal as a prolonged war in Gaza may cost him thousands of votes come November.
“It was unanimous that this Israel-Gaza war needed to end now and that Biden needed to stand up to Bibi,” the lawmaker said. “Bibi is toxic among many Democratic voters, and Biden must distance himself from him — yesterday.”
The Israeli prime minister has dismissed such comments and at least publicly continues to back Biden over criticism from his nation’s far-right party.
On Sunday, Netanyahu hit back against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s claim that Israel would have been better off if Trump was still president.
“We deeply appreciate the support we have received from the Biden administration since the outbreak of war,” Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv, according to the Times of Israel.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t have disagreements, but so far we have managed to overcome them with determined and considered decisions,” he added.
