Trump calls Herzog 'weak and pathetic' over Netanyahu pardon — 'He is full of crap'

US President Donald Trump renewed his attack on Israeli President Isaac Herzog over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's pardon request, calling Israel's head of state 'weak and pathetic.' In a conversation with Channel 12's Barak Ravid, Trump brought up the pardon request of his own accord and said Herzog was 'full of crap' for insisting he could not make a decision before receiving a recommendation from the Justice Ministry. 'He doesn't need any legal opinions,' Trump said. 'He is full of crap. He is a weak and pathetic guy. I want Bibi to be focused on the war — not on bullshit.' The Justice Ministry's Pardons Department had earlier determined that Netanyahu's pardon request does not meet the relevant conditions — his trial is ongoing, he has not been convicted, and he did not admit guilt. Herzog is highly unlikely to grant a pardon under these circumstances. Last week Trump called Herzog a 'disgrace.' Herzog's office has consistently stressed his decision will be made without external influence. The Trump-Herzog public feud over a domestic Israeli legal matter — occurring simultaneously with the most intensive US-Israel joint military operation in history — illustrates the complex personal and political dynamics within the alliance. Trump's public name-calling of Israel's president while US forces are fighting alongside the IDF is without precedent in the history of the US-Israel relationship.