Trump Says U.S. Will Decide F-35 Sales Despite Netanyahu Objection

U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public opposition to a possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that "nobody tells me what we should be selling." Trump called Turkey a strong country with a large military and a "tremendous ally," while acknowledging Ankara is not friendly toward Israel or Netanyahu. Netanyahu has warned that arming Turkey with F-35s would upset the Middle East's balance of power and threaten Israel's air superiority. The State Department told Congress last week that Turkey still does not qualify while it retains Russia's S-400 air-defense system.