Former President Trump claimed on Friday that if he doesn’t win the November election, it could lead to a major war in the Middle East and even “World War III.”
President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the day after the prime minister met with President Biden and Vice President Harris at the White House.
“If we win, it’s very simple. Everything will be resolved very quickly,” Trump told reporters at the start of the meeting. “If we don’t win, we’ll have a major war in the Middle East, possibly World War III. We’ve never been closer to World War III since World War II. We’ve never been closer, because we have incompetent people running our country.”
The former president has previously said that fighting between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine meant the world was on the brink of a new world war.
Trump has also made dire predictions about what would happen if he fails to retake the White House, including claiming the stock market would crash.
Friday’s meeting between Biden and Netanyahu came amid a tumultuous presidential election. Biden announced Sunday that he would not seek reelection in November and endorsed Harris as his candidate. Harris has rapidly solidified her support within the Democratic Party and is likely to become the party’s nominee in November’s presidential election.
Harris spoke separately to Biden on Thursday and described her meeting with Netanyahu as “candid and constructive.” After the meeting, she told reporters that Israel had the right to defend itself but that she had “serious concerns” about the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Trump has occasionally criticized Netanyahu since the Oct. 7 Israeli attack that killed more than 1,100 people and subsequent fighting in Gaza that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead.
But on Friday, Trump sought to underscore his support for Israel, citing his administration’s decisions to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and impose sanctions.
“We’ve had a great relationship. I’ve treated Israel better than any president has ever treated them,” Trump said.
The Biden administration has expressed optimism that a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages held by Hamas are achievable.
President Trump said Friday that it was an “unacceptable situation” and questioned the conditions of those still being detained.
“They need to be returned immediately because they can’t be in good condition,” he said.
