President Trump Responds To Netanyahu Demanding The U.S. To Not Sell F-35s To Turkey: “Nobody Tells Me What We Should Be Selling”

President Donald Trump brushed aside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opposition to selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, declaring that no foreign leader would dictate which countries receive American military equipment.

“Tell them, look, Turkey has been a great ally for me,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Michigan.

“You know, I think he’s — he’s done a very good job, did a good job with Syria. He’s a friend of mine.

“And nobody tells me what we should be selling. And now Turkey has been a tremendous ally for me.”

Netanyahu has urged Washington not to provide Ankara with F-35s or engines for its fighter aircraft, arguing that the transfer would upset the regional balance of power and threaten Israel’s military advantage.

Turkey was removed from the F-35 program after purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defense system. Trump has nevertheless signaled that he is open to reversing course, saying during a July 7 meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the United States would “certainly consider” a sale.

Any agreement would still face legal restrictions and likely resistance in Congress.

Trump emphasized Turkey’s military strength while acknowledging the deep hostility between Erdogan’s government and Israel.

“Turkey is not a big fan of Israel. You know that, right?” Trump said. “Turkey has been great. Very powerful country, by the way. Tremendous military, very big military, very powerful military, has a lot of great equipment.”

Despite rejecting Netanyahu’s position on Turkey, Trump also praised the Israeli leader’s performance during the conflict with Iran.

“But Bibi has been great,” Trump concluded. “He was a wartime prime minister. We did very well together. And if you look at Iran now, they’re 8% of what they were four months ago. They’re 8% of what they were four months ago. So we’ll see how this all comes out.”

Click to expand...

JUST IN – Trump on Israeli PM Netanyahu opposing sending the F-35s to Turkey: "Nobody tells me what we should be selling or not. Turkey has been a tremendous ally." pic.twitter.com/oQ082pQzGG

— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) July 27, 2026

Click to expand...

JUST IN: Hours before Netanyahu's arrival in DC, President Trump makes clear Israel would NOT survive without America

"You know who wouldn't survive without us? ISRAEL."

"If I didn't get involved, and if I didn't blow up those soon-to-be nuclear weapons—the dust, as I call… pic.twitter.com/kLbpxIhhEv

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) July 27, 2026

Click to expand...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to CNN on Tuesday regarding the US sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, shortly after US President Donald Trump discussed the sale with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a press conference in Ankara.

Netanyahu told CNN that he had spoken to Trump about his concerns regarding the possibility that the sale could disrupt the balance of power in the region.

He asserted that despite Trump’s relationship with Erdogan, Turkey is not a “friendly state” to the US due to Ankara’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization.

Netanyahu also noted Erdogan’s support for Hamas and history of imprisoning political opponents and journalists.

“He’s not exactly a model ally of the United States,” Netanyahu continued, adding that Erdogan has threatened America’s NATO allies and has repeatedly threatened to destroy Israel.

Click to expand...