This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Jerusalem • President Donald Trump loves to complain about the news media, which he has dubbed "the enemy of the American people."
It turns out his hosts here in Israel feel much the same way.
Trump chatted casually on the sidelines of his airport arrival ceremony in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, about their shared disdain for the way the media treats them.
The conversation was caught on a microphone as Trump made his way to Marine One for his short helicopter ride into Jerusalem. In it, Trump told Sara Netanyahu that his wife, Melania, was a big fan of hers.
"I love her, I'm also her fan," Sara Netanyahu said. "I talk everyplace about her, how great she is, how great you are."
"I can testify to that," the prime minister said.
Sara Netanyahu, whose expansive government spending on the couple's private residence has been the subject of official investigation and intense media scrutiny, told Trump, "Because the majority of the people in Israel, unlike the media, they love us. So we tell them how you are great, and they love you."
"We have something very much in common," Trump replied.
"Very much in common," Sara Netanyahu said.
Benjamin Netanyahu chimed in: "Sounds familiar."
"We will talk about it at dinner," Sara Netanyahu told Trump. "A lot in common. The same media. Anyhow, we'll talk about it."
The Trumps are scheduled for a private dinner with the Netanyahus on Monday night at the prime minister's residence.
Video of the exchange was immediately clipped and published on YouTube by the Israeli press.