Netanyahu heads to Washington Monday for Trump meeting
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Netanyahu's office confirmed the Israeli Prime Minister will travel to Washington on Monday (July 27, 2026) and meet President Trump the following day, Tuesday (July 28, 2026).
- Trump announced the upcoming Netanyahu visit during his Friday (July 24, 2026) speech at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, using the moment to insult Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer by calling him Palestinian.
- Trump said he would 'send [Schumer] a beautiful Palestinian outfit tomorrow, so he can greet Bibi Netanyahu when he comes to town next week,' tying the slur directly to the Israeli leader's arrival.
- U.S. Muslim and Jewish advocacy groups have previously criticized Trump's repeated use of 'Palestinian' to describe Schumer — who is Jewish — saying the president deploys the term 'disrespectfully as a slur and as an insult.'
- Netanyahu will also attend the funeral of deceased U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham during his Washington trip, his office said.
- The Trump-Netanyahu meeting comes as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran completes five months, per the source's stated timeline.
Why it matters: The Tuesday meeting lands at the U.S.-Israel war on Iran's five-month mark, per the source. Netanyahu's itinerary combines a Trump sit-down with attending the late Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral. Trump's WHCA-dinner routine that Schumer had 'turned Palestinian' to greet Netanyahu shows the Israel visit being used as a vehicle for his ongoing attacks on the Senate's top Democrat.
