Trump said Monday that Netanyahu “will not be arrested” in the United States, writing on Truth Social that the Israeli prime minister is “fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others.” Trump added that Netanyahu “will not be arrested in any way, shape or form.”

The president’s statement came in response to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s suggestion that local authorities could detain Netanyahu when he visits New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly. The International Criminal Court previously issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

In an interview with the New York Times, Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and said that the prime minister “belongs in The Hague.” During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani vowed that if elected, he would arrest Netanyahu should the Israeli leader come to New York. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, has accused the Israeli government of committing genocide in Gaza.

At an unrelated press conference Monday, Mamdani said he was having conversations with the city’s legal department about its authority to arrest Netanyahu, but suggested he would not rewrite any laws. He added that he would seek the arrest of other international leaders with ICC warrants, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. “My point is that if someone is charged with a warrant by the International Criminal Court for these kinds of crimes, that’s something I believe that should be honored,” Mamdani said.

Mamdani’s statements have been polarizing among moderate Democrats and some members of the city’s Jewish community. David Greenfield, a former Democratic city councilman and chief executive of the Jewish nonprofit Met Council, said, “The idea that an executive would try to direct a police agency under their jurisdiction to arrest their political opponents is very much third-world behavior. It’s not what we do in a democracy.”

Trump and Netanyahu have had a sometimes complicated relationship amid the war with Iran. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that the Republican president had grown tired of Netanyahu arguing for more military action. Netanyahu is expected to arrive in New York in September for the United Nations General Assembly.