An Israeli newspaper owned by a Donald Trump megadonor published an open letter that condemned the president for agreeing to a memorandum of understanding with Iran.
The sharply worded open letter appeared Thursday in Israel Hayom, the Israeli newspaper founded by the late Sheldon Adelson and now owned by his widow, billionaire philanthropist and major Trump supporter Miriam Adelson.
Under the headline, "You could have been the greatest president of all, but you failed," veteran Israeli journalist Danny Zaken accused Trump of abandoning a strategy he said had weakened Iran and moved the region closer to lasting security.
"You made a colossal mistake," Zaken wrote. "You failed by signing a surrender agreement with a murderous and cruel terror regime."
He argued that the agreement would harm American interests, undermine U.S. credibility and increase the likelihood of future conflict.
The memorandum of understanding, announced this week after months of conflict between the United States and Iran, establishes a framework for negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program and regional activities while reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump has defended the agreement as a diplomatic achievement that follows extensive military operations against Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.
Zaken, however, contended that Iran was already under severe economic and political pressure and that the Trump administration should have continued applying pressure rather than pursuing negotiations.
"The war worked excellently," he wrote, claiming the Iranian economy was deteriorating and the regime was showing signs of internal fractures before Trump changed course.
The letter was particularly notable because it appeared in a publication closely associated with one of Trump’s most loyal political benefactors.
Miriam Adelson and her late husband have been among Trump's largest supporters for years, and Trump awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.
Despite his criticism, Zaken praised many of Trump's first-term accomplishments, including moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and helping broker the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab nations.
He argued those achievements made the agreement especially disappointing for many Israelis who viewed Trump as one of Israel's strongest allies.
"We feel betrayed, nothing less," Zaken wrote near the end of the letter. "You lost your patience and your moral and leadership compass."
Zaken also took issue with Trump's reported criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and objected to the president referring to him by the nickname "Bibi," emphasizing that Netanyahu is "the elected prime minister of the independent and sovereign State of Israel."
The letter highlights growing divisions among some traditionally pro-Trump voices in Israel over the Iran agreement.
While many conservatives continue to support Trump's broader Middle East agenda, critics such as Zaken argue that Tehran should have faced additional military, economic, and diplomatic pressure before receiving any negotiated relief.