Michael Goodwin: Trump and Netanyahu have a shared goal for Iran — but the media pits them against each other

Nypost · Apr 25, 2026 · 1211 words · By Michael Goodwin

Media Bias and Criticism of Political Leaders Geopolitical conflict in the Middle East

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/25/opinion/michael-goodwin-trump-and-netanyahu-have-a…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

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Straw Man 50% confidence

Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to make it easier to attack.

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Cherry Picking 60% confidence

Selectively presenting evidence that supports one side while ignoring contrary evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

27 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 17

check_circle Corroborated 5

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help Insufficient Evidence 2

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“The attacks from The New York Times and other American leftists accusing Trump of being duped by Netanyahu into joining the war are absurd, but it turns out the charges have an equally absurd counterpart in Israel.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided consists of general information about The New York Times and general news coverage, but none of the retrieved sources directly confirm the specific claim regarding 'The New York Times and other American leftists accusing Trump of being duped by Netanyahu into joining the war' having a direct, stated counterpart in Israel. The claim relies on synthesizing information not explicitly present across multiple independent sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times (NYT) is a newspaper based in Manhattan, New York City. The New York Times covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces and reviews. One of the l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. The New York Times Book Review has published the list weekly since October 12, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Best_Seller…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Times Company is an American mass media corporation that publishes The New York Times and its associated publications such as The New York Times International Edition and other media prop…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Company

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“There, the growing claim is that Netanyahu is such a wishy-washy junior partner that he refuses to stand up to Trump when the president supposedly makes decisions that are not in the best interests of Israel’s security.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results cite the sentiment that Netanyahu is weak or deferring to Trump regarding Israeli security decisions. One source explicitly uses the phrase 'Netanyahu plays Trump and American Jews for Fools...' and another web search result uses the headline 'Repeatedly deferring to Trump, Netanyahu subjects Israeli security to US president's whim.'

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician and diplomat who has served as Prime Minister of Israel since 2022. Having previously held office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Netanyahu

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Gaza peace plan, officially the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, is a multilateral agreement between Israel and Hamas that aims to address the ongoing Gaza war and broader Middle Easte…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_peace_plan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yair Netanyahu (Hebrew: יאיר נתניהו; born 26 July 1991) is an Israeli podcaster and political activist. He is the second child of Benjamin Netanyahu.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yair_Netanyahu

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“As a recent headline in The Times of Israel put it, “Repeatedly Deferring to Trump, Netanyahu Subjects Israeli Security to US President’s Whim.””

CORROBORATED

The claim is directly supported by a web search result which quotes the exact headline: 'Repeatedly deferring to Trump, Netanyahu subjects Israeli security to US president's whim.' Another web search result repeats this sentiment, confirming the source's reporting of this specific headline/argument.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 28 February 2026, the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran targeting military and government sites and assassinating several Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Iran_war

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican, previously served as the 45th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Tr…

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“The author cites as an example Trump’s decision to halt the fighting and declare a two-week cease-fire so settlement talks with Iran could begin.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results report that Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran, stating it was to allow for an agreement. One source specifies this was to allow settlement talks to begin.

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web search NEUTRAL — US President Donald Trump announced a “double-sided ceasefire” between the US and Iran in a post on Truth Social early on Wednesday, stating that Operation Epic Fury will be suspended for two weeks so…
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-892348

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web search NEUTRAL — Special report: Trump announces two-week ceasefire in Iran after threatening massive attacks. 0 seconds of 3 minutes, 30 seconds Volume 0%.
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/live-blog/live-updates-ir…

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web search NEUTRAL — The US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in exchange for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a last-ditch deal that averted President Donald Trump’s threatened escalation of the war.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-07/trump-agr…

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“Trump’s decision, writer Lazar Berman declared, amounted to “a rejection of Netanyahu’s unsuccessful lobbying against pausing or ending the war yet.””

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The claim attributes a specific statement to Lazar Berman regarding Trump's decision rejecting Netanyahu's lobbying. While multiple web searches discuss Trump's decisions relative to Netanyahu, the specific quote attributed to Berman is not corroborated by multiple independent sources in the evidence provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — Netanyahu has separately rejected giving the PA any foothold in Gaza. given that he is now vehemently opposed to any trend that furthers the possibility of a Palestinian state, even if run by the PA i…
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-86312…

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web search NEUTRAL — President Trump standing outside wearing a dark coat. How Trump Decided to Go to War. President Trump’s embrace of military action in Iran was spurred by an Israeli leader determined to end diplomatic…
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/02/us/politics/trump-war-ira…

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web search NEUTRAL — Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has claimed that three American presidents rejected a war plan proposed by Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Iran, while President Donald Trump agreed to it.
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/john-kerry-trump-suppo…

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“He also notes that soon after the cease-fire was announced, “Netanyahu’s office conceded in a statement released only in English that ‘Israel supports President Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks.’ ””

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Netanyahu's office released a statement supporting Trump's decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks. This is corroborated by multiple web search results and references to the event in Wikipedia entries related to the conflict.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Melania Knauss Trump (born Melanija Knavs; April 26, 1970) is a Slovenian and American former model serving as the first lady of the United States since 2025, a role she previously held from 2017 to 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melania_Trump

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“New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is among those gatekeeping poohbas who hates both men.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results confirm that Thomas Friedman is a New York Times columnist who has written about both Trump and Netanyahu, and one source notes he called both men 'anti-democratic.' This establishes the pattern of criticism from the columnist regarding both figures.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable former and current New York Times employees, reporters, and columnists.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_Times_employe…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sonia Friedman is a British West End and Broadway theatre producer, hailed as a Variety500 Honoree seven years in a row, as well as "the most powerful producer working in theater" by the New York Tim…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonia_Friedman

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thomas Loren Friedman ( FREED-mən; born July 20, 1953) is an American political commentator and author. He is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and a weekly columnist for The New York Times. He has w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_L._Friedman

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“as when he recently said that a West Bank incident was “Just another day of the Netanyahu government playing President Trump for a fool.””

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The claim quotes a specific statement attributed to Thomas Friedman regarding a West Bank incident. While web searches confirm Friedman's commentary on the conflict, the exact quote provided in the claim is not independently corroborated by multiple sources in the evidence.

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 2, 2025 · Classic Full Episodes of Thomas & Friends! | 120 Minutes Thomas & Friends 4.04M subscribers Subscribe Subscribed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsQP69nxEWM

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web search NEUTRAL — Welcome to the official Thomas & Friends Classics YouTube channel, where you can find all your favorite adventures from older Thomas & Friends Episodes! Join Thomas, James, Percy, Gordon, Emily ...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsqZZcBVUcVHjg8xVZM-vGQ

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web search NEUTRAL — Welcome to the official Thomas & Friends YouTube channel, where parents and kids can find new stories and adventures featuring the No. 1 Blue Tank Engine! Join Thomas, Percy, Rosie and all their ...
https://www.youtube.com/@thomasandfriends

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“FDR and Churchill didn’t always see things the same way, and both had trouble with Stalin, yet the three worked together long enough to defeat Hitler and Nazism.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries regarding the historical relationship between FDR, Churchill, and Stalin.

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“Trump and Netanyahu were routinely scorned by their nations’ legacy media long before the current conflict.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries regarding the historical criticism of Trump and Netanyahu by their respective nations' legacy media prior to the current conflict.

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“the claim that he was dragged into a war he didn’t want by Israel carries more than a faint smell of “blame the Jews.””

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“the charge also fails to account for the president’s long-standing declaration that he would do whatever was necessary to make sure Iran never got a nuclear weapon.”

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“In 2016, he campaigned against Barack Obama’s deal with Iran, which he correctly viewed as too generous, and unlikely to prevent the mullahs from getting nukes, building missiles and financing terrorism.”

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“He withdrew from the pact in 2018, and two years later ordered the attack that wiped out Iran’s terror mastermind, Gen. Qasem Soleimani.”

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“Still, soon after his second term began, Trump wrote a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and said publicly, “We’re down to final strokes with Iran . . . Can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.””

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“In a TV interview, he described his approach as, “There are two ways Iran can be handled: militarily, or you make a deal. I would prefer to make a deal, because I’m not looking to hurt Iran. They’re great people.””

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“He joined Israel in its 12-day war against Iran last year, but limited America’s role to dropping bunker-buster bombs on three underground nuclear facilities.”

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“Earlier this year, Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began a new round of negotiations with Iranian representatives.”

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“Witkoff told Sean Hannity that the ayatollah’s representatives opened by asserting an “inalienable right to enrich” nuclear fuel to weapons-grade levels.”

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““They said to us, directly, with no shame, that they controlled 460 kilograms of 60% (enrichment), and they’re aware that they could make 11 nuclear bombs, and that was the beginning of their negotiating stance,” Witkoff added.”

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“The collapse of the talks led Trump to say, for the first time, that “regime change” might be necessary.”

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“It was now clear a deal could not be reached, so days after the talks broke down, he gave the go order for Operation Epic Fury.”

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“Trump said Saturday after canceling plans for Witkoff and Kushner to leave for Pakistan, which was to broker a meeting. “If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!!!” he told The Post.”

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“Netanyahu’s lot is further complicated by Israel’s need to stop Hezbollah’s attacks from Lebanon.”

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“He did not want the Iranian cease-fire to cover the Lebanese front, but Trump and Iran both insisted it would.”

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“Trump even said he barred Israel from further bombing in Lebanon, declaring on social media that “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!””

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“To that end, Trump announced after another meeting between the two governments Thursday that the cease-fire between them would be extended for three more weeks, until May 17.”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Michael Goodwin: Trump and Netanyahu have a shared goal for Iran — but the media pits them against each other

psychologyDetected Techniques

fact_checkFact-Check Results