President Donald Trump blazed into his second term, boasting of being the most transparent leader in modern times.
But just one year later, Trump has turned away from hosting foreign leaders in front of the press as the reality of a tough midterm election year has encroached upon the administration’s ability to shape political narratives.
The president met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday morning in a two-and-a-half-hour closed-door meeting to discuss the ongoing U.S. negotiations with Iran, the peace deal in Gaza, and the new Board of Peace.
Netanyahu entered the White House after his motorcade drove along West Executive Avenue, away from the media’s view.
The two leaders did not hold a joint press conference afterwards. Trump did not take questions about the meeting despite appearing for a Champion of Coal Event in the East Room. But Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that it was a “very good meeting” and that “there was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated.”
The approach mirrors that Trump has used when meeting with Venezuela’s opposition leader in January and Colombian President Gustavo Petro earlier this month. The reticence is a marked difference from last year, when Netanyahu was the first foreign leader to visit the Trump administration at the White House. That visit included a public press conference where Trump announced his intention for the U.S. to “own” the Gaza Strip and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Republicans claim that Trump’s quiet approach could be at the behest of the foreign dignitaries, who might be seeking to avoid embarrassing public spats.
“This is probably more of foreign leaders insisting they didn’t want to be cornered live on TV for the world to see,” said one Republican, who requested anonymity. “There’s something to be said for candid discussions in a proverbial smoke-filled back room.”
A second Republican with ties to the White House said the reason meetings have become closed to the press is to avoid muddying sensitive ongoing negotiations, in contrast to last year, when Trump was pushing forth his “Liberation Day” tariffs with foreign nations.
“At the end of the day, what the White House understands is they want to avoid a real-time media interpretation that could complicate ongoing deals,” said the Republican. “They want to control the entire narrative of the conversation that they’re having, not only in front of the camera, but also behind closed doors.”
Trump is currently working to navigate multiple, complicated international crises, including a drawdown to the Russia-Ukraine war, enforcing the peace deal between Israel and Hamas, and navigating the fallout from the Maduro capture in Venezuela.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all rule, and the more sensitive it is, the less you’re going to have these public statements,” the second Republican added. “Some of these things are so sensitive and could blow up at any second, or could cause the other side to shy away from the table. They want to maximize their leverage where they can. And sometimes leverage means having a public show, and sometimes it means we’re going to keep this behind closed doors.”
The White House defended the president’s strategy, reiterating his stance as “the most transparent and accessible President in American history” in a statement to the Washington Examiner, but did not specifically address questions about Trump’s continued closed-door meetings.
“Whether he is taking unrestricted questions directly from the press, setting records for the longest public events, or posting on his TRUTH account, he is constantly addressing the most important issues facing our nation,” said Olivia Wales, a White House spokeswoman. “Through many meetings with world leaders over the past year, President Trump has leveraged his foreign policy prowess to solve eight wars, secure fair trade deals, and restore American greatness on the world stage – and he will continue to share these wins directly with the American people.
Trump’s closed-press foreign leader meetings stand in contrast to those of his first year in office, when the president crafted multiple viral moments for his treatment of foreign dignitaries.
Trump, for instance, confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa last March over claims of a white genocide by broadcasting video footage of the burial sites of white farmers in a stunning moment.
“Turn the lights down and just put this on,” Trump said as he directed Ramaphosa to watch a video montage of political rallies with widespread chants of “kill the farmer!” and images of grave sites.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance also famously got into a heated Oval Office back-and-forth with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last February, when Trump accused Zelensky of “playing cards” and “gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
Some public meetings also resulted in Trump being grilled by the press, as happened during a November 2025 Oval Office meeting with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“Is it appropriate, Mr. President, for your family to be doing business in Saudi Arabia while you’re president? Is that a conflict of interest?” Mary Bruce of ABC News asked. “And your royal highness, the U.S. intelligence concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist. 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you and the same to you, Mr. President?”
“Fake news,” Trump shot back. “One of the worst of the business, but I’ll answer your question.”
The president has also been criticized for appearing to fall asleep at official public events, something Trump has joked about himself during a recent Cabinet meeting.
“The last time we had a press conference, it lasted for three hours, and some people said, ‘He closed his eyes,’’ he said. “Look, it got pretty boring. I love these people, but there’s a lot of people. It was a little bit [on] the boring side, but I didn’t sleep. I just closed them because I wanted to get the hell out of here.”