Trump: ‘There Would Be No Israel’ Without Me; Denies Being ‘Tricked’ Into Iran Conflict

United States President, Donald Trump, has claimed that “there would be no Israel” if not for him, while denying he was “tricked” into the ongoing conflict with Iran.

The comments came in a wide-ranging interview with the conservative podcast _Pod Force One_ released Wednesday.

Trump also pushed back on reports of a furious call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the war. _Axios_ reported that Trump called Netanyahu “crazy” during the exchange.

“I’m the one that started it,” Trump insisted, referring to the war that began three months ago. “I started it because we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon. If there wasn’t me there would be no Israel right now.”