Trump and Netanyahu hold White House talks on tariffs, the war in Gaza and more

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, becoming the first foreign leader to visit Trump since he unleashed tariffs on countries around the world.

Whether Netanyahu’s visit succeeds in bringing down or eliminating Israel’s tariffs remains to be seen, but how it plays out could set the stage for how other world leaders try to address the new tariffs.

Trump greeted the Israeli prime minister with a firm handshake as he arrived for talks.

Trump ignored shouted questions from reporters about the tumbling global markets and whether he would lift tariffs on Israel.

Shortly before their meeting, the White House announced that Trump and Netanyahu’s plans to hold a joint news conference had been canceled. The White House did not offer any immediate explanation for why it was scrapped, but Trump and Netanyahu were expected to make comments to reporters at the start of their scheduled Oval Office meeting.

Netanyahu’s office has put the focus of his hastily organized Washington visit on the tariffs, while stressing that the two leaders will discuss major geopolitical issues including the war in Gaza, tensions with Iran, Israel-Turkey ties and the International Criminal Court, which issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader last year. Trump in February signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC over its investigations of Israel.