Trump says Netanyahu to visit US next week, ‘jokes’ about sending Schumer ‘Palestinian outfit’

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit the United States next week.

Trump made the remarks during a speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, where he referred to Netanyahu by his nickname, “Bibi”, while making a political dig at US Senator Chuck Schumer.

The president said he would send Schumer “a beautiful Palestinian outfit” so he could greet Netanyahu when the Israeli leader comes to Washington next week.

Trump’s comment came as he falsely described Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, as Palestinian. Schumer, who is Jewish, has previously been sharply critical of Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza, while also voicing support for Israel’s security.

Netanyahu’s office said earlier that he ​will travel ​to Washington on ⁠Monday and ​will meet ​with Trump on ​Tuesday. Netanyahu will also attend deceased U.S. ​Senator ​Lindsey ⁠Graham’s funeral, his ​office said.

The reported visit would come at a sensitive time for US-Israel relations, with Washington continuing to face pressure over its support for Israel and its role in diplomatic efforts linked to the Gaza war and broader Middle East tensions.

“He turned Palestinian,” Trump said of Schumer, who is Jewish, while also joking that sharia law was Schumer’s “new founding.”

U.S. Muslim and Jewish advocacy groups have previously criticized Trump for calling Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, a ‘Palestinian’, with the rights groups saying Trump uses the term disrepectfully as a slur and as an insult.

The Trump-Netanyahu meeting will come as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran completes five months.

Earlier this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had called on the federal government to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during any visit to the United States, citing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant issued in November 2024. In a video posted on July 21, Mamdani accused Netanyahu of being responsible for war crimes over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The mayor later acknowledged that his own administration does not have the independent legal authority to carry out such an arrest.

Trump has already said Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the US, making Mamdani’s demand unlikely to produce legal action. However, the statement has added to the political debate within the Democratic Party over Gaza, accountability and Washington’s continued support for Israel.