Netanyahu and Herzog send Trump birthday wishes as he turns 80

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday wished US President Donald Trump a happy 80th birthday amid deep disagreements over a possible US-Iran deal, and as the American leader prepared to host a showstopping cage-fighting show on the storied South Lawn of the White House.

“Happy birthday Donald,” Netanyahu wrote on X, noting that Trump’s birthday comes at “an auspicious time” this year.

“America celebrates 250 years of freedom — a great nation built on liberty and faith,” added Netanyahu, reminding Trump that peace comes through strength, a possible commentary on an emerging memorandum of understanding with Iran that is seen in Israel as a capitulation to the Islamic Republic.

“I wish you continued strength and vigor as you lead America towards a bright future of peace through strength,” Netanyahu said, “and as we continue to bring the US-Israel alliance to ever greater heights.”

President Isaac Herzog also posted a birthday message on his official X feed, saying the US leader’s “remarkable journey to the White House represents the breadth of the American dream and the power of your own resolve.”

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition

by email and never miss our top stories

By signing up, you agree to the terms

“The people of Israel are grateful for your leadership in confronting Iran’s empire of evil and for your steadfast commitment to the security of Israel,” Herzog continued. He also thanked Trump for his “tireless efforts” in securing the release of Israeli hostages abducted to the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.

“May you lead the Middle East and the world toward peace and security and continue to strengthen the unique U.S.-Israel partnership,” Herzog said. “In Jewish tradition, it is stated that at the age of eighty you gain unique prowess. May you enjoy your beautiful family and many happy birthdays with blessings and joy.”

The wishes from the Israeli leaders came as Trump readied to host a UFC mixed martial arts fight on the White House, a showstopping birthday spectacle that once would have seemed unfathomable for the top US office.

However, the hard realities of the office have threatened to overshadow the ostentatious extravaganza, in which combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.

Trump has found himself boxed into an unpopular and costly war he helped start in Iran. An agreement to end the conflict could be close, but the crucial details are still to be negotiated. Meanwhile, about a mile from Trump’s birthday bash, crews pried the president’s name off the Kennedy Center after a judge ruled naming it after Trump had gone too far.

Regardless, the president will walk out of the White House and be surrounded by Cabinet leaders, top administration officials, Republican lawmakers and 4,000-plus spectators screaming themselves hoarse in a temporary arena under “The Claw,” a spaceship-like metal arch fitted with lighting, sound equipment and large screens. Thousands more will be watching on big screens from the nearby Ellipse.

“This event is a one of one event, incredible event. I love it,” said UFC chief Dana White, a close friend of the president, during a Friday night hype session at the Lincoln Memorial, where pairs of fighters shoved and scuffled for the cameras under the stoic gaze of Honest Abe’s marble likeness.

The president has sought to tie Sunday’s event — which features seven fights running past midnight — to larger, months-long celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

But it is much more geared toward feting himself, so much so that the G7 summit for leaders of industrialized nations pushed back their get-together so that the president could attend his cage-match party and then fly straight to France for the meetings.

The weather, though, could put a major damper on things. Strong thunderstorms and heavy lightning disrupted Friday’s Lincoln Memorial event, and the forecast for Sunday evening also looks threatening.

“I’m sick and tired of hearing about the weather,” White declared on Friday, before conceding that he’ll prefer to hold future UFC events inside arenas only.

A dramatic departure from how the last president marked his 80th birthday. When Trump’s predecessor, president Joe Biden, turned 80 in November 2022, he celebrated with a private family brunch at the White House, laying bare just how much and how quickly things have changed.

Asked about the contrast, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster said that the fight “will be one of the most entertaining nights in American history” and said that the timing was appropriate. “Having this spectacle take place at the people’s house on Flag Day during our nations’ semiquincentennial anniversary is a fitting tribute,” Schuster said in a statement.

When he turned 80, Biden was the oldest president in US history, and was months away from launching a reelection bid that he would ultimately abandon after a disastrous debate against Trump and mutiny among Democrats concerned he was too old to handle a second term.

Trump has now supplanted Biden as the oldest person to be elected US president. He’s constitutionally barred from running again, yet constantly toys with the notion publicly. That’s despite polls showing rising public skepticism about Trump’s mental and physical health — recalling concerns Biden faced as he turned 80.

A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of US adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively as president.

The White House countered with a lengthy statement from Trump’s former White House physician, Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, saying Trump’s “stamina, focus, and strength are exceptional and on display every day. Claims to the contrary are pure fiction.” Jackson added that polling concerns were “being propagated by the same biased, liberal, Trump-hating press that completely ignored the absolute cognitive and physical disaster that was President Biden.”

Trump has undergone four publicly announced physical examinations this term alone, with White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella recently declaring him in “excellent health.”