Trump tells Netanyahu pardon ‘on its way’; Herzog denies communication with White House

Trump has repeatedly pressed Herzog to intervene, framing the case as politically driven and frequently drawing parallels to his own legal battles.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday publicly asserted that an Israeli presidential pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was imminent, triggering an immediate and formal denial from the office of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The exchange began in Florida as Netanyahu met with Trump, who told reporters he saw no reason a pardon should be withheld. “How do you not?” Trump said. “He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?”

Trump went further, claiming direct confirmation from Israel’s president. “I spoke to the president, and he tells me it’s on its way. You can’t do better than that, right?”

Herzog’s office responded within minutes, disputing the account and saying no such conversation had taken place. “There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted,” the statement said.

According to the president’s office, the only relevant contact occurred several weeks earlier, when Herzog spoke with a representative acting on Trump’s behalf.

That conversation followed the submission of a formal request for a pardon, which was filed about a month ago by Netanyahu’s legal team. Herzog’s office said the representative was informed “of the stage of the process” and that any decision would be handled “in accordance with the established procedures.”

Netanyahu is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three cases dating back to indictments filed in 2019. He has denied all allegations. His attorneys’ pardon request, submitted last month, does not include any admission of guilt.

Trump has repeatedly pressed Herzog to intervene, framing the case as politically driven and frequently drawing parallels to his own legal battles.

During an October address to the Knesset, Trump openly urged Herzog to grant clemency, saying, “Who cares about cigars and champagne?” In a follow-up letter sent last month, Trump called the prosecution “political” and urged a full pardon, praising Netanyahu as a “War Time Prime Minister.”