Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, has denied Donald Trump’s claim that a pardon for Benjamin Netanyahu was imminent. Herzog, 65, said he did not have a conversation with President Trump and rejected the assertion that a pardon was “on the way.”
He was responding to comments Trump made to reporters during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, while seated beside Israel’s prime minister.
Several times this year, Donald Trump has called for Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, who is accused of breach of trust, bribery, and fraud, charges he continues to deny. “How do you not? He’s a wartime prime minister who’s a hero. How do you not give a pardon?” said the 79-year-old president, suggesting that Herzog would issue the pardon.
“I spoke to the president, and it’s on—he tells me it’s on its way. You can’t do better than that, right?” Trump added.
However, Herzog denied the claim. As reported by CNN, his office said, “There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted.”
Herzog’s office disputes this, saying, “There has not been a conversation between President Herzog and President Trump since the pardon request was submitted.” Instead his office says Herzog spoke to one of Trump’s aides and offered “an explanation was provided regarding the… https://t.co/LaMUaOSyHP
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) December 29, 2025
Netanyahu submitted the pardon request on November 30. According to Herzog’s office, he had already spoken with a Trump aide, but not about granting a pardon. Instead, the office said it provided “an explanation” about the current stage of the process in which the request stands.
Previously, Trump described Netanyahu’s trial as a “witch hunt,” similar to how he has referred to his own felony charges. Back in June, he also strongly suggested a complete dismissal of the trial, or at least a pardon for his close ally. Trump said Netanyahu deserved that as he “has done so much for the state” during the Israel-Iran conflict.
However, the three-judge panel of the Jerusalem District Court firmly rejected the request to cancel the trial, which began in 2020. The panel wrote that the Israeli prime minister’s request “does not present a detailed basis that might justify canceling the evidentiary hearing.”
🚨President Isaac Herzog received a letter this morning from Donald Trump, calling on him to grant a pardon to Benjamin Netanyahu in his criminal trial. pic.twitter.com/6vkQLbsc7e
— Amit Segal (@AmitSegal) November 12, 2025
Despite that, Donald Trump really pushed for the same. In October, he told Herzog, “Hey, I have an idea, Mr. President, why don’t you give him a pardon? Give him a pardon, come on. This has been one of the greatest wartime presidents, and cigars and champagne—who the hell cares about that?”
In November, he also submitted a written plea to Issa Herzog, noting that Netanyahu’s trial was an “unjustified prosecution.” However, the Israeli President’s recent statement settles that there might not be a pardon “on the way” for Trump ally Benjamin Netanyahu.
