Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday evening with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House for the second time in two months, as the two leaders are set to hold talks on a range of sensitive diplomatic and economic issues.
The meeting, which came at Trump’s request, followed Netanyahu’s visit to Budapest, where he spoke with both Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Netanyahu flew directly from Hungary to Washington.
Ahead of the meeting, the White House announced that a planned joint press conference had been canceled.
Key topics on the agenda included efforts to reach a hostage deal, following a newly reported Egyptian compromise proposal; the economic fallout from Trump’s recently announced 17% tariffs on Israeli imports; and ongoing regional threats, including Iranian activity and tensions on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
Israeli officials are expected to present compromise proposals, spearheaded by National Economic Council head Avi Simhon, in hopes of easing the impact of the tariffs on Israel’s economy. The issue is of particular concern, as Netanyahu becomes the first foreign leader to directly discuss the new U.S. tariff policy with Trump.
The leaders also planned to review the situation on the Lebanese front, including disputes over land borders and detained Lebanese nationals, and the broader Iranian threat—especially in light of Trump’s recently imposed deadline on Tehran and the deployment of an additional THAAD missile defense battery in Israel. Turkish entrenchment in Syria, which has raised alarms in Jerusalem, was also expected to come up in the talks.
During this visit, Netanyahu has already met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamison Greer to address the tariffs. He also held talks with Trump’s envoy on the hostage issue, Steve Witkoff, and is expected to meet Vice President J.D. Vance later in the week. Officials say the visit may be extended depending on developments.
