Donald Trump’s wartime alliance with Benjamin Netanyahu is exposing a divide within his party that will outlast his presidency — over what “America First” really means for the US-Israel relationship.
asserted
First → expose → relationship
Making peace between the GOP’s pro-Israel establishment and its restive right wing will pose an early challenge for Vice President JD Vance, who’s positioning himself for a posible 2028 run.
asserted
who → make → run
But any Republican looking for the nomination to succeed Trump will have to sidestep the same sort of internal clashes over Israel that have bedeviled Democrats.
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that → look → Democrats
Trump’s position is clear: The US president, even amid open tensions with the Israeli leader, has aligned tightly with Netanyahu and endorsed his reelection.
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president → align → reelection
A White House official, in a statement to Semafor, emphasized Trump’s “great relationship” with the prime minister.
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official → emphasize → minister
“At the mid-level and upper levels of the administration, there is not only real frustration, but real anger with Netanyahu’s government,” said one Trump administration official.
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official → be → government
“There’s a feeling that they oversold what they could do vis-a-vis Iran, and about how fragile the Iranian regime was.
uncertain
regime → ’ → Iran
There’s a feeling that we had to bear a lot of the brunt for actually defending Israel.”
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we → ’ → Israel
The next president, regardless of party, will face specific questions about how much to sustain the long tradition of direct US military aid to Israel and deep US integration with its military.
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president → face → military
Netanyahu himself, as he prepares for an election that could end his leadership in its current form, acknowledged as much in a Friday interview: “Tens of billions of US aid dollars to the defense budget — get used to it — won’t keep coming.
uncertain
billions → prepare → it
Because America has changed.
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America → change → ?
Not because Israel has.
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Israel → have → ?
And as Trump nears his lame-duck era, partisans on both sides of the Israel debate are watching every 2028 hopeful, including Vance.
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partisans → near → Vance
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a longtime backer of the Israeli government, could try to cut into Vance’s advantage with likeminded donors if he runs; others in the party are hoping Secretary of State Marco Rubio jumps into a primary for the same reason, though it’s less likely.
uncertain
it → try → reason
Vance, meanwhile, is trying to balance Trump’s level of support for Israel against a populist right wing that’s increasingly questioning the current relationship.
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that → try → relationship
In private conversations and public meetings, Vance has sought to assure pro-Israel Republicans that he holds no animus toward the Jewish state, while arguing that the relationship should be more explicitly guided by US interests.
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relationship → seek → interests
Earlier this year, he compared the US relationship with Israel to that of countries like France and the UK.
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he → compare → France
“When we’re partnered, great, let’s work together. And [when] we’re not, let’s just be honest about it,” he said.
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’s → partner → it
Vance declined last week either to endorse or to criticize Netanyahu (Trump appeared unconcerned, telling reporters it’s “up to him”).
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it → decline → him
As Vance put it to Joe Rogan in July, he’s merely a “guy advocating for a normal relationship with a normal country.
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he → put → country
That posture may not please either side, but it has helped mollify his critics, to an extent.
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it → please → extent
“I do not think he hates Israel.
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he → think → Israel
I don’t.
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I → do → ?
I don’t think he’s an antisemite, not by any stretch,” said Sid Rosenberg, a conservative radio host who met privately with Vance last month at the White House amid the VP’s charm offensive on the subject.
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who → think → subject
“But I don’t think he has the same passion for Israel moving forward as somebody like Marco or Ted would.”
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somebody → think → Marco
The Tucker factor
Rosenberg also addressed the elephant in the room for Vance: “He’s definitely in a tougher spot than Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz because the truth is a lot of Jewish voters don’t trust him.
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lot → address → him
Some of that is the way he talks about Israel and Bibi, and some of that is because he’s admittedly friendly with Tucker Carlson.”
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he → talk → Carlson
Vance has neither criticized his friend nor publicly nudged Carlson to temper what’s been harsh criticism of Israel — and Trump’s cultivation of the Netanyahu government.
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what → criticize → government
“I don’t think there’s much debate about the definition of America First.
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I → think → America
It means putting the interests of American citizens above all others.
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It → mean → others
That would definitely not include sending tens of billions of tax dollars to genocidal ethnostates in the Middle East so they can kill kids,” Carlson said in a text exchange with Semafor.
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Carlson → include → Semafor
“That’s not America First.
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That → ’ → ?
It’s evil.”
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It → ’ → ?
The real views of Israel among top Republicans aren’t as binary as they’re made out to be.
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they → make → Republicans
Critics of Israel within the GOP aren’t as numerous, or as organized, as their Democratic counterparts.
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Critics → organize → counterparts
The real schism exists between traditional pro-Israel hawks, who have allied the US with the Jewish state since the George W. Bush era, and a spectrum of skeptics — led by “restrainers,” who argue that the US should be more disengaged from Israel but have no ill-will toward the country.
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US → exist → country
(Carlson’s views on Israel are seen by many on the right as at the more extreme end of the skeptical faction.)
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views → see → faction
One person close to the White House echoed Vance’s public position in summing up restrainers’ perspective as not “anti-Israel” in the same way as a progressive: “It’s just like, I don’t spend the vast majority of my day thinking about this country halfway around the world.
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I → echo → world
I think Israel is cool; seems like a fine country.
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Israel → think → country
I’m not sure why we are so devoted to what’s going on in their country as much as we are.”
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we → ’m → country
…and 15 more, not listed.
The Aporia
