A new bombshell report on an Israeli TV news show revealed Biden officials discussed the idea of working to trigger an election with the hope of defeating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so they could push the president’s ceasefire deal. 

The plan was ultimately blocked by the president.

One of the president’s advisors on the region said that after the first ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war collapsed, the idea of working against Netanyahu started to circulate in President Joe Biden’s administration, according to former White House officials interviewed on Israel’s Channel 13 show «HaMakor.»

The idea floated was that Biden would give a speech directly to the Israeli public, presenting two options, according to his Middle East advisor Ilan Goldenberg. «A lot of people were talking about, including in the Oval Office at times, the idea of, like, the President going out and giving a speech. Benny Gantz (the opposition leader) was at 37 [seats] and Bibi was like at 15, right? Like, he was very weak. Joe Biden was still incredibly popular in Israel,» he claimed.

BIDEN CRITICIZES NETANYAHU OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, SAYS ISRAELI LEADER MAKING A ‘MISTAKE’

Goldenberg said, «The idea was that Biden would say you can end the war, get all the hostages out, get a deal that includes even, you know, maybe trying to have elements of Hamas leave — or you can keep doing what you’re doing, and Israel will be in a Forever War. Your sons and daughters are going to keep fighting. Most of the hostages are going to come home dead. The idea would be either to force Netanyahu to come on board with that or scramble Israeli politics and see if you could trigger elections. That’s what people were saying, like, ‘let’s just break this up because it’s not going anywhere good.’»

However, Goldenberg said Biden blocked the move. «I think at the end of the day, he [Biden] was uncomfortable with the idea of going out that directly against Netanyahu.»

At a moment when U.S.-Israeli cooperation was vital, the deep mistrust and personal tensions between former President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu threatened to derail key diplomatic opportunities. The recent report featured insights from nine senior Biden administration officials and sheds light on the complexities that defined their interactions.

President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House on July 25, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Tom Nides, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, recalled how the president frequently clashed with Netanyahu’s leadership. 

«Biden didn’t really trust Netanyahu,» Nides said. «Netanyahu, I mean, come on everybody, he’s a survivor, a manipulator, you know, a magician when it comes to relationships. Biden saw all of that.»

KAMALA HARRIS’ PICK FOR JEWISH LIAISON DRAWS CRITICISM OVER ISRAEL, IRAN VIEWS: ‘RED FLAG’

Before Oct. 7, tensions focused on Netanyahu’s push for judicial reform, which sparked massive demonstrations and clashes among the Israeli public. «I was in the middle of all this… I had many a screaming match with Ron Dermer (Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs) about this,» Nides said. Biden repeatedly urged Netanyahu to slow down and seek consensus, while anxieties rose over figures like far-right nationalist Minister Ben Gvir. 

«There were lots of anxieties over the issues around judicial reform, which I thought was insane,» Nides said.

The personal tension sometimes erupted publicly. When asked if Biden ever used harsh language for Netanyahu, Nides said, «President Biden likes to use colorful language, and on occasion, the prime minister was able to extract that colorful language from the president.» He said Netanyahu questioning Biden’s commitment to Israel particularly infuriated him.

This image, made from undated bodycam video footage taken by a downed Hamas terrorist and released by the Israel Defense Forces, shows a Hamas terrorist walking around a residential neighborhood at an undisclosed location in southern Israel. Israel’s military brought together a group of foreign correspondents on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 to screen a 40-minute reel of gruesome footage compiled from the Hamas attack on Oct. 7. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

After Oct. 7, when Biden became the first sitting president to visit Israel during wartime, tensions deepened as Netanyahu rejected U.S. plans for Gaza’s future. According to Michael Herzog, Israel’s then-ambassador to Washington, Biden believed Netanyahu was aiding Trump politically, while Netanyahu suspected Biden of deliberately «walking on his head.»

The tension extended to hostage negotiations. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Hamas was reluctant to talk seriously for months. When asked if Netanyahu added conditions, he said, «I’m not saying that.»

Unlike their public statements, Arab leaders were quietly supporting Israel’s efforts to defeat Hamas, Dan Shapiro, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense, revealed in the interview. «They said very clearly, please tell the Israelis they have our support to wipe out Hamas,» he said.

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President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at the White House on Feb. 4, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

At the same time, while tensions with Netanyahu were growing, a major opportunity was slipping away. Amos Hochstein, former U.S. special envoy for International Energy Affairs, called Saudi Arabia «the most important Muslim country in the world,» describing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a historic figure capable of reshaping the region. 

Herzog, Israel’s former ambassador to Washington, confirmed that serious discussions had taken place about advancing normalization during the transition period before Trump could return to office. «Biden would bring Democrats, and Trump would bring Republicans,» Herzog explained, but said that Trump preferred to wait, not wanting to share the achievement. «I believe it will happen, I just don’t know when,» Herzog said.

Fox News Digital sent questions to former President Biden’s spokesperson for comment.

Al menos tres personas han muerto en un tiroteo en el centro de la ciudad sueca de Uppsala, 70 kilómetros al norte de Estocolmo, según anunció un portavoz de la Policía en declaraciones a la agencia sueca

Poco después de las 17 (12 de la Argentina) hubo «llamadas de personas que escucharon fuertes detonaciones que parecían disparos en el centro de Uppsala«, indicó la policía en su web, y agregó que hay varias personas «con heridas que pueden haber sido causadas por disparos».

La policía sueca ha acordonado la plaza de Vaksala Torg de Uppsala tras registrarse un tiroteo que ha dejado al menos tres muertos, confirmados por la Policía, y un número indeterminado de heridos de bala. Las identidades de los fallecidos no han sido confirmadas puesto que aún no se han comunicado a sus familiares, añade el comunicado policial.

Por el momento se desconocen las causas del suceso. Se está buscando a uno o más sospechosos, ha asegurado el portavoz de la policía Magnus Jansson a medios locales. Según medios locales, uno de los sopechosos habría huído del lugar en scooter. Un helicóptero polcial sobrevuela la zona.

Se da la circunstancia de que este hecho a ocurrido en vísperas de Walpurgis, una de las principales fiestas en Suecia, que se celebra con hogueras en la calle.

Según medios suecos, testigos presenciales escucharon entre siete y nueve disparos y el tiroteo se produjo junto a una peluquería.

Las autoridades no han informado de ningún detenido, aunque de acuerdo con el tabloide Aftonbladet se busca a un hombre que huyó del lugar en una patineta eléctrico.

La policía ha puesto en marcha un amplio operativo policial que incluye helicópteros.

El tráfico ferroviario estuvo interrumpido durante cerca de una hora, informó el diario local UNT.

Suecia ha sufrido en los últimos años un aumento de tiroteos mortales debido a los conflictos entre bandas criminales, que han afectado también a las vecinas Noruega y Dinamarca.

Flera personer har skadats i en misstänkt skottlossning i centrala Uppsala, uppger polisen. En större polisinsats pågår vid Vaksala torg.
”Ett flertal personer anträffas med skador som tyder på skottlossning”, skriver polisen på sin hemsida.
Upsala Nya… https://t.co/jxVECL3Eq6

— DagensNyheterNyheter (@DagensNyheter2) April 29, 2025

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Los autores son cada vez más jóvenes, en muchos casos contratados como sicarios porque tienen menos de 15 años, la edad de responsabilidad penal en Suecia.

En enero la policía indicó que el número de tiroteos había disminuido en 2024 por segundo año consecutivo, con 296, un 20% menos que el año anterior.

Suecia ha experimentado tiroteos significativos, muchos de ellos relacionados con el crimen organizado y actos de violencia aislada, en los últimos años, a los que se suma el ocurrido este martes en la ciudad de Uppsala, en el que han muerto tres personas y varias más resultaron heridas.

A continuación se detallan algunos de los incidentes más relevantes:

– 19 de marzo de 2015: Miembros de bandas rivales abrieron fuego en un pub en Gotemburgo matando a dos personas e hiriendo a al menos ocho más. El ataque fue atribuido a una disputa entre bandas.

– 26 septiembre de 2016: Un fallecido y tres heridos fue el balance de un tiroteo en Malmoe (sur de Suecia). Los cuatro eran jóvenes de unos 20 años residentes en Malmoe y varios de ellos eran conocidos con anterioridad por la policía.

– 19 de junio 2018: Tres jóvenes murieron y varios más resultaron heridos tras el tiroteo ocurrido en el centro de Malmoe (sur de Suecia) relacionado con un conflicto entre bandas criminales locales.

– 21 de octubre de 2021: El rapero sueco Einar es asesinado en Estocolmo a consecuencia de los disparos de varios individuos. Al parecer, el joven cantante, de 19 años, debía testificar en un caso contra una pandilla.

– 19 junio 2022: Un tiroteo en un centro comercial en Malmoe dejó heridas a dos personas en lo que la policía consideró una vez más una disputa entre bandas criminales.

– 10 de junio 2023: Dos muertos y otros dos heridos fue el resultado de un tiroteo en un centro comercial de Estocolmo.

– 27 de septiembre 2023: Dos personas fallecieron en un tiroteo del crimen organizado en Estocolmo. Además, esa jornada una mujer murió en la explosión de un artefacto en su casa.

– 4 de febrero de 2025: Tiene lugar una de las peores tragedia en el país por violencia. Al menos 11 personas fallecieron en un tiroteo, incluido el presunto autor, en un centro educativo para adultos en Örebro, a unos 200 kilómetros al oeste de Estocolmo.

President Donald Trump campaigned for a second term on pledges to lower prices, create jobs and impose tough tariffs on imports, especially from China. 

Dubbing himself the «Tariff Man» last fall, he told an audience at the Economic Club of Chicago, «To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff.» However, in his first months in office, it is unclear whether Trump can, or should, implement the harsh reciprocal tariffs he announced in April against dozens of countries.

Now, 100 days into his second term, economists told Fox News Digital they see these proposed reciprocal tariffs as politically motivated, unnecessary and failing to secure the benefits from U.S. trading partners that Trump had been hoping for.

CHINA IS ‘CAVING’ TO TRUMP’S TRADE WAR STRATEGY, EXPERT SIGNALS

Instead, they warned, Trump’s tariffs could grind billions of dollars in trade to a halt between the world’s two largest economies, disrupt global supply chains and risk torpedoing the U.S. economy into a major slump or recession.

When Trump took office, chances of recession «were probably about 10%,» Justin Wolfers, an economist at the University of Michigan, told Fox News Digital in an interview. «Now, they’re up to around 55%.» 

It is unclear whether Trump will continue to push through with these unpopular tariffs, which are slated to take force in early July. In the near-term, uncertainty and volatility remain.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on March 28, 2025 amid President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Short-term tariff impact

Trump announced tariffs on April 2, dubbed «Liberation Day.» The announcement included both a 10% universal baseline tariff and plans to enact larger tariffs on dozens of other countries, including China.

These new import taxes immediately sent stock markets into free-fall, triggering one of the largest single-day S&P 500 losses since World War II, and prompting deep and unyielding uncertainty over possible next moves.

«The only thing that’s happened that has pushed the odds of a recession up so high, so fast, is chaos coming from out of the White House,» Wolfers said.

Trump subsequently paused the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days to encourage the administration to make «deals» with countries on trade and encourage more investment in U.S. manufacturing. Even so, some prices have already risen in anticipation of higher costs under the new tariff regime.

Uncertainty has also played a role. Trump’s tariff announcement in April prompted a number of large container ships to abruptly halt their shipments to the U.S. earlier this month and turn back to their original ports. This means that more consumers will see a price hike for everyday products, likely at certain big-box retailer stores like Walmart or Target, as early as next month. 

These price hikes are «not showing up tomorrow, but will show up over the next few months, as scarcities develop and American retailers have to find other sources – that might take a while,» David H. Feldman, an economist and professor at William & Mary College, said in an interview.

TRUMP’S ULTIMATUM TO FEDERAL WORKERS: RETURN TO OFFICE ‘OR BE TERMINATED’

President Donald Trump arrives for a presentation ceremony in the East Room of the White House on April 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

While Trump says tariffs will target foreign competitors and reduce the trade deficit, the costs will fall mostly on working- and middle-class Americans who buy the bulk of imported goods.

Wolfers said Trump’s focus on the trade «deficit» is based on a common misconception.

«What that means is we sell China a small amount of stuff, and they sell us a large amount of stuff,» he explained. However, for every dollar bill that goes to China, the U.S. gets something for it that Americans want to buy, like T-shirts. 

«We have a dollar deficit – but we have a stuff surplus.» 

Potential for deescalation 

There are few signs that Trump’s tariffs will deliver the gains he sought, such as onshoring U.S. production or securing better trade deals, particularly with Asian countries.

Instead, experts warn these countries are likely to circumvent U.S. markets and supply chains over time.

«If these tariffs stay in place, there will be hardly any trade between the U.S. and China,» by the second half of the year, Gary Clyde Hufbauer, a senior non-resident fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in an interview.

Roughly $650 billion in annual trade between the two countries is at risk, along with knock-down effects on global commerce in the long term.

 WORLD LEADERS REACT AS TRUMP RE-ENTERS THE WHITE HOUSE

President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Trump’s tariffs also discard decades of international understanding that has depoliticized trade disputes, Feldman said.

The U.S. is «moving from a system that at least was based on mutually acceptable rules of behavior to a system that does not have that as its anchor,» Feldman, whose research focuses on global trade policy, told Fox News Digital. That shift allows the government to target foreign nations individually and offer selective tariff relief to firms and industries «if they do ‘our’ bidding,» he argued. 

«America is now master of the shakedown.» 

President Donald Trump gestures to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on April 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Trump spoke a day after announcing sweeping new tariffs targeting goods imported into the U.S. on countries including China, Japan and India. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Next steps 

After market backlash, Trump appears to be warming to the idea of easing his proposed 145% reciprocal tariffs on China, which has vowed to impose its own retaliatory measures on U.S. goods.

Economists say he is more likely to do so if the economy sours, or he sees a major drop in poll numbers, if the past is precedent. 

Still, any path to deescalation remains uncertain. Just last week, China denied Trump’s claim that the two countries were negotiating a tariff deal, after he asserted in an interview that he had reached «200 deals» on trade.

Economists believe Trump will at least partially scale back the tariffs before July but warn he is playing a high-stakes game of brinkmanship that could hit U.S. consumers and businesses hardest.

«What I worry about is that the immediate impact of uncertainty is on business investment in trade-exposed industries, leading to a recession,» Feldman said. «But it could get worse, if it transmits into a financial panic. And  if everyone starts to say, ‘geez, I got to get into gold and cash, I can’t be in Treasury bills.’ If we move into a flight to cash, all bets are off.» 

Should that happen, he said, «We could slide into 2008 all over again.»

A television broadcasts market news on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump has refused to concede that his early days have been anything but a major success.

In a recent interview with Time magazine, he touted his first 100 days as «very successful,» saying «people [are] writing that it was the best first month, and best second month, and really the best third month» for a U.S. president.

He dismissed stock market volatility and rising inflation as temporary «market fluctuation,» calling it a «transition period» that would level out.

When asked if he would consider it a win if tariffs remained as high as 50% on imports a year from now, Trump said he would.

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«Total victory,» he said. 

«Everybody is going to benefit.»