New book says Trump called Netanyahu a 'con man' and was rattled by the pager blasts

A new book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan says Donald Trump told Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk last year that he would not go to war with Iran, saying, "We are not doing that." The authors say Trump made the promise during an Oval Office meeting with Carlson and Musk, and that he asked Carlson for advice because he believed the influential right-wing commentator still had sway with much of the conservative base.

The book, which will be published in the United States on Tuesday, says Carlson criticized Trump for "refusing to turn on Netanyahu over the Gaza massacre." Carlson reportedly told Trump, "They want you to go to war with Iran," and Trump replied, "We are not doing that." The authors also say Trump told aides that Benjamin Netanyahu was a "con man," which they describe as one of the harshest insults in Trump’s lexicon.

Haberman and Swan describe a February 2026 meeting in the White House Situation Room attended by Trump, Netanyahu and a small group of American and Israeli officials. At that meeting, Netanyahu laid out Israel’s argument for attacking Iran, and Trump eventually decided to back that position. The book also says Trump told Carlson, "I don't think there has ever been a president as strong as me," and showed the journalists a document he claimed ranked him above figures such as Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao and Hitler.

Another section says Trump was struck by Israel’s 2024 pager attack against Hezbollah. According to the book, he told gruesome stories in the Oval Office about the damage caused by the explosions, examined photos, and was both fascinated and horrified by the injuries. He allegedly compared one badly wounded militant to a shark attack, saying, "It looks like a big white shark came along and just took a bite out of him. It was like a shark bite. It was terrible."