JERUSALEM — GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump canceled plans Thursday to visit Israel, a trip for which even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — widely seen as an ally of the Republican Party — had shown little enthusiasm.
Trump announced his decision on Twitter, saying he would reschedule “at a later date after I become President of the U.S.” Appearing on Fox News, he said there were many reasons for the move, among them that he didn’t want to put Netanyahu in a bind.
“In fact, I did a campaign ad for him, and he’s a good man, but I didn’t want to put him under pressure,” Trump said. “I also did it because I’m in the midst of a powerful campaign that’s going very well.”
Trump, who has maintained a wide lead in most early preference polling, unleashed an uproar this week when he called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S.
