Shocked By Tariffs On Israel, Netanyahu Heads To White House To Negotiate With Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today, making him the first world leader to meet with the president to seek tariff relief.

Trump announced last week that a baseline 10% tariff on all countries would take effect on April 5, with additional amounts — including a 7% tariff on Israel — scheduled to take effect on April 9.

The tariff reportedly came as a surprise to Israeli leaders, who had hoped that removing all tariffs from American goods would help ease the risk of economic turmoil amid a year-and-a-half-long war that has strained the nation’s struggling economy.

Netanyahu spoke to Trump about the tariffs during a phone call last week, which included Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Today’s meeting — the second time Trump has hosted Netanyahu at the White House in less than three months — is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET, and will be followed by a joint press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET.

On Sunday, Netanyahu met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at Blair House in Washington, D.C. His office described the meeting as “warm, friendly and productive.”

More than 50 nations have reached out to the United States to negotiate trade deals following last week’s tariff announcement, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett revealed Sunday.

Under Trump’s “Liberation Day” plan, Israel would face a 17% tariff on goods. A White House official told The Daily Wire that the tariffs account for various “non-trade barriers,” including intellectual property transfer or theft, which the source said was specific to Israel.

However, in the days following the announcement, it has been reported that the White House calculated most tariffs based on the U.S. trade deficit divided by the value of imports from each country.

The United States-Israel Free Trade Agreement, which took effect in 1985, nearly eliminated tariffs between the countries by 1995. The United States is currently Israel’s largest trading partner, with total goods trade estimated to be valued at $37 billion in 2024.

In 2024, U.S. imports from Israel stood at $22.2 billion, while exports were estimated at $14.8 billion, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. America’s trade deficit with Israel stood at $7.4 billion in 2024.

Trump told the American people over the weekend to “hang tough” through the pain felt by the tariffs on the American economy, promising that “we will win” and that tariffs are creating an “economic revolution.”

Trump and Netanyahu, who share a warm relationship, are also expected to discuss the ongoing war with Hamas and efforts to maintain stability in the Middle East. One of the concerns expected to be discussed is Turkey — a NATO ally — attempting to grow its influence in Syria. Last week, Israel bombed Syrian airbases to convey a message to Turkey that it opposes its attempts to expand its influence.

“We don’t think it was good when Syria was an Iranian proxy, and we don’t think that Syria should be a Turkish protectorate,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a press conference last week.

During Netanyahu’s February visit, Trump shared his shocking plan to relocate Gazans from the Gaza Strip and have the United States take over.

“Everyone I have spoken to loves the idea of the United States owning that piece of land, developing and creating thousands of jobs with something that will be magnificent,” he said, adding that Gaza could become the “Riviera of the Middle East.”

“I think it’s something that could change history and I think it is worth pursuing this avenue,” Netanyahu said in response.