Former President Barack Obama has “aura,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in a Monday interview on the Full Send Podcast.
Netanyahu sat down with hosts Kyle Forgeard and Jesse Sebastiani — the Nelk Boys — who pressed him about his interactions with Presidents Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Obama. (RELATED: ‘I Stand In Awe’: Tucker Carlson Can’t Contain His Joy After NELK Boys Give Him The Best Christmas Gift Ever)
“I don’t agree with everything he did, but Obama’s still cool,” Forgeard said. “He has aura. You know what that means?”
“Yeah, I do,” Netanyahu said. “And he had it. I don’t disclaim that he had great talents, but we had different views of the world. He was a very talented and gifted person. I don’t think he was a weak person. I don’t think that at all. But I think he had ideas that I didn’t always share, to put it mildly.”
Benjamin Netanyahu on the fullsendpodcast LIVE at 12PM/EST pic.twitter.com/eJLLxYvhMd
— Full Send Podcast (@fullsendpodcast) July 21, 2025
Netanyahu pointed to Obama’s approach to Iran’s nuclear program as the heart of their rift, saying they fundamentally disagreed on the “general direction” to take.
“I thought that making sure Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons was something that was absolutely essential,” Netanyahu said. “He viewed it differently. He thought that through accommodation that he would stop them, and I don’t think he did. I mean, he made a deal that basically paved their way with gold to a nuclear arsenal.”
When he testified in front of a 2015 joint session of Congress concerning the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Netanyahu told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that Israel would no longer remain passive in the face of Iran’s ambitions.
“Iran envelopes the entire world with its tentacles of terror,” Netanyahu said at the time. “As prime minister of Israel, I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them.”
Netanyahu said testifying before Congress “wasn’t easy,” but he felt compelled to speak out for Israel’s sake.
“I did it because I thought the fate of my country was at stake,” Netanyahu said. “I thought we could be annihilated by the Iranians.”
Ten years later, Netanyahu stands behind his decision and said he still disagrees with Obama’s prerogative.
“It’s not for lack of respect, it’s for disagreement,” the prime minister said. “People can disagree and in politics, you often compromise.”
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