John J. Mearsheimer

So if he doesn't say no to Trump, right, he'll get clobbered.

Well, you don't have a job, son.

Look, the argument you can make just building on what you said is,

is that the Israeli body politic, and here we're talking mainly about the Israeli elites, will understand what you just said, which is they can't survive in a meaningful way without American support, and that they are running the risk of losing American support if they don't cooperate with Trump.

If they don't cooperate with Trump, they run the risk.

And the threat of losing American support will be sufficient to convince the Israelis to play ball with Trump.

So the argument there is that Trump can play hardball with the Israelis in ways that no other president, including Trump himself, have ever played hardball with the Israelis, and that it'll work because of the logic that you just spun out.

Well, there is some of that for sure.

And there's good reason for them to think that they own us because they have owned us.

Yes.

But I do think we are at a very special point in history here.

I think, again, you cannot underestimate what a colossal blunder President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu made on February 28th.

And the chickens are coming home to roost now.

And I believe that Netanyahu, who's had a handful of conversations with Trump, fully understands the pressure that Trump is under, right?

And I believe other people in the administration are talking to the Israelis and telling them that.

And it's easy for the opposition to Netanyahu who are on the outside and who would like to run Netanyahu out of office so they can move into his seat to criticize Netanyahu.

But I think even with regard to them, they will eventually get the message across.

And if they don't, Trump then has two choices.

He can basically cut off aid to Israel and distance ourselves, distance the United States from Israel in ways that was unimaginable a month ago.

Yes.