Miriam Adelson’s Israel Hayom Publishes Scathing Open Letter to Trump: “You Could Have Been the Greatest — But You Failed”

An Israeli newspaper owned by longtime Donald Trump donor Miriam Adelson published a blistering open letter to the president on Friday, sharply criticizing his Iran peace agreement and accusing him of having "betrayed" Israel and ultimately of failure.

Columnist Danny Zaken—writing in Israel Hayom, the country’s most widely circulated daily—addressed Trump directly under the headline, "You could have been the greatest president of all, but you failed." Zaken warned that Trump "may be remembered forever as the president who brought about America’s humiliation," and he laid out a forceful case against the administration’s approach to Iran.

"And from where I sit, near Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the people of Israel since the days of the kingdoms of David and Solomon, I say to you: You made a colossal mistake. You failed by signing a surrender agreement with a murderous and cruel terror regime. You severely harmed American interests and the democratic and human values of the enlightened world, and you turned over the hourglass toward the next war, which your successors will have to deal with in the years to come."

Zaken also rebuked Trump for using Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname. He referenced a leaked account of a tense phone call between the two leaders and insisted on Netanyahu’s formal title.

"Two weeks ago, someone in your circle made sure to leak the sharp conversation you had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," he wrote. "And I deliberately emphasize the full title. He is not ‘Bibi.’ He is the elected prime minister of the independent and sovereign State of Israel, as would be anyone else sitting in his chair."

In another passage, Zaken questioned what prompted Trump's apparent reversal on Iran, rejecting the idea that electoral calculations justified the shift.

"And I am trying, and failing, to understand what caused this absurd change of direction, so contrary to everything you have said and done until now. The midterm elections are a flimsy excuse. You are in your second term, and the surrender memorandum of understanding will hurt the Republicans more than it will help them."

He closed with an urgent appeal for Trump to reverse course:

"We feel betrayed, nothing less, because your heart was, it seemed, in the right place, with all your flaws. You acted against it. You lost your patience and your moral and leadership compass. Only if you walk this back and avoid reaching a final agreement with Iran might there be a correction."

Context

The editorial confrontation is not unprecedented. Israel Hayom was launched in 2007 by the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and has long reflected the views of the Adelson family. Miriam Adelson and her late husband have been among Donald Trump’s largest campaign benefactors; Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018. In December, speaking at a White House Hanukkah event, she said she would contribute "another $250 million" if Trump sought a third term.

Earlier tensions include an episode during the 2024 campaign when candidate Trump called Israel Hayom "fake news" after two of its reporters said they were "shocked" by a message in which Trump urged Israel to end its war against Hamas.

This open letter underscores an unusually public break between a major conservative U.S. donor’s media outlet and a president who has long relied on her financial and political support.

Note: The piece originally appeared on Mediaite.