Trump Rejects Netanyahu's Objection to F-35 Sale for Turkey, Praises Erdogan Hours Before White House Meeting

President Trump made clear on Monday that Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't get a veto over US arms sales, dismissing the Israeli prime minister's objection to selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey just a day before hosting Netanyahu at the White House.

"Nobody tells me what we should be selling or not," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Michigan, according to ZeroHedge. "Turkey has been a tremendous ally."

He didn't stop there. Trump called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "a friend of mine" who "did a good job with Syria," according to Times Now. He praised Turkey's military as "very powerful," with "a lot of great equipment," per Ajel English.

In the same breath praising Turkey, Trump noted Turkey isn't exactly friendly with Israel, and then pivoted to a jab about who actually needs American backing. "We're being very nice to a lot of countries that would not survive without us," Trump said. "You know who wouldn't survive without us? Israel."

Netanyahu's Objection, On the Record

Netanyahu told CNN directly, according to Ajel English, that he'd personally informed Trump of his opposition to the F-35 sale. His argument: handing Turkey America's most advanced fighter jet would shift the regional balance of power and erode Israel's military edge, a concept known as Israel's "qualitative military edge" that's been a bedrock of US-Israel defense policy for decades.

Turkey, a NATO member, still operates under a cloud from Washington's own making. Turkey was booted from the F-35 program after buying Russia's S-400 air defense system, a purchase the Pentagon has long said risks exposing F-35 stealth data to Russian systems. The official reason the US pulled Turkey from the program was this security concern. Netanyahu telling Trump that "selling the latest American fighter jets does not make Turkey a friend of the United States," as reported by Ajel English, reflects a coherent position from a leader watching a hostile-to-lukewarm neighbor get access to the same jets Israel flies.

Trump argues that Turkey is a NATO ally, a fact Israel doesn't dispute. He contends that Erdogan has been useful to him personally and strategically, including on Syria, and that Washington, not Jerusalem, decides what America sells and to whom. That's also true as a matter of law and precedent. Foreign leaders don't have veto power over US arms sales, even allies as close as Israel.

Where This Stands Legally

Any actual F-35 sale to Turkey still has real hurdles. Turkey was formally removed from the Joint Strike Fighter program years ago over the S-400 issue, and reinstating it would require sign-off that's likely to draw serious pushback in Congress, according to Times Now. Trump has moved in that direction rhetorically. During a July 7 meeting with Erdogan, he said the US would "certainly consider" approving the sale. Considering is not the same as approving, and nothing in these reports indicates a deal has been finalized or submitted for congressional review.

The Tuesday Meetings

Trump was scheduled to host Netanyahu at the White House Tuesday, followed by a separate meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a White House official cited by Times Now. The Netanyahu meeting was expected to cover the standoff with Iran, progress on talks with Lebanon, and expansion of the Abraham Accords.

On Iran, Trump and Netanyahu aren't in lockstep either, though the gap is smaller. "We have a little difference, but pretty close," Trump said, according to both ZeroHedge and Times Now. Trump also claimed Iran now sits at roughly 8% of its prior strength following recent US and Israeli action, though he offered no data source for that figure, and it should be read as Trump's own characterization rather than a verified metric.

Trump separately pushed back on a claim from Zelenskyy that Russia has been feeding Iran intelligence on US military bases. "I don't think they've been doing it, certainly not at a high level," Trump said Monday, per Times Now.

None of the three reports indicate Trump has signed off on a final F-35 sale to Turkey, only that he's signaling openness to it over Netanyahu's public objection. Whether Congress lets that go further, and whether Netanyahu raises it again face-to-face at Tuesday's White House meeting, remains unresolved.