Democratic strategist David Axelrod said Monday night that President Trump’s reported outburst at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a phone call earlier in the day was justified.

Trump reportedly slammed Netanyahu over the prime minister’s plan to attack Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut, an escalation of the war in Lebanon that prompted Iran to suspend peace talks with the United States.

Two U.S. officials and a third source briefed on the call told Axios that Trump referred to Netanyahu as “crazy” and yelled, “What the f— are you doing?” during the call.

When asked about the reported conversation by CNN’s Erin Burnett on “OutFront,” Axelrod said, “It doesn’t sound like a very friendly call.”

“Look, I think that the president — his analysis is not wrong. I think — you know — Bibi Netanyahu has done tremendous damage, in my view, to Israel and to Israel’s standing in the world. And, this war — I think what Trump’s really mad about, if you believe the reporting in The New York Times on this … Bibi had a lot to do with talking the president into thinking this was a good idea, and that’s what he’s really mad about.”

“What he’s mad about is Bibi has created a huge political problem for him, because the economy is the thing that is on the minds of Americans, and he has made it worse,” Axelrod added.

The Times reported in early April that Netanyahu, in February, gave a presentation in the White House Situation Room that factored heavily into Trump’s decision to launch the war with Iran, which has stretched on for three months and increasingly stressed the global economy.

Before Monday’s call, Netanyahu ordered the Israel Defense Forces to attack Hezbollah targets in the Dahieh district of Beirut. Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since October 2023, despite agreeing to a ceasefire in November 2024.

After the call, Trump announced on Truth Social that Israeli troops would retreat from Beirut and that any troops on their way to the capital “have already been turned back.”

“Likewise, through highly placed Representatives, I had a very good call with Hezbollah, and they agreed that all shooting will stop — That Israel will not attack them, and they will not attack Israel,” he added.

Iranian officials have said that Israeli strikes on Lebanon are a violation of a ceasefire that the U.S. and Iran agreed to on April 7.

The Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s military, said Tehran was suspending talks with the U.S. in protest of the Israeli aggression. However, Trump said later in the day that talks were moving forward.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

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