{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss","slug":"trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss","title":"Trump Advisers Joked About Asylum in Israel Before Midterm Loss","subtitle":"The New York Times reported on a private call where strategists discussed electoral defeat.","excerpt":"Senior advisers to former US President Donald Trump reportedly joked about seeking asylum in Israel during a private meeting days before the Republican midterm election defeat. The New York Times cited sources familiar with the discussion.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T19:47:09.065Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-11-05T18:46:02.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-11-05T19:47:09.065Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":70,"critic":65,"hype":45,"notes":{"trust":"Central claim attributed to NYT report, with specific quotes and names from two full reports.","critic":"Quotes and specific details provided, with context on the Iran war and economic factors.","hype":"Headlines use strong language like 'disaster' and 'wipeout' but the body is more measured."}},"tags":["#DonaldTrump","#USPolitics","#MidtermElections","#Israel","#BenjaminNetanyahu"],"entities":["Donald Trump","The New York Times","James Blair","Benjamin Netanyahu","Tony Fabrizio","Iran"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Senior advisers to Donald Trump discussed seeking asylum in Israel during a private meeting six days before the midterm elections, according to The New York Times.","The jokes occurred as Republicans faced potential electoral defeat, with one adviser stating, 'At least Bibi won. He’ll protect us,' referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.","Trump's chief pollster, Tony Fabrizio, reportedly responded to the sentiment with, 'Maybe we could get asylum in Israel.'","The war with Iran and rising petrol prices were cited as factors contributing to the Republican defeat."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Senior advisers to former US President Donald Trump joked about seeking asylum in Israel during a private meeting held six days before the midterm elections, The New York Times reported. The discussion took place a day after Israel's election, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc did not secure a parliamentary majority. During the call, strategists expressed concerns about the party's electoral prospects, with some engaging in dark humour about potential outcomes."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"James Blair, who had overseen Trump's midterm strategy, was quoted as saying, 'At least Bibi won. He’ll protect us,' a comment the newspaper described as sarcastic. Trump's chief pollster, Tony Fabrizio, reportedly replied, 'Maybe we could get asylum in Israel.' The call included discussions of possible electoral scenarios, one of which projected a significant Republican defeat. These concerns materialised when Democrats gained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The war with Iran was cited as a factor eroding Republican support, particularly as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushed US petrol prices above $4 per gallon. An internal presentation suggested that Democratic support increased during active hostilities with Iran. Republican polling two weeks before the election indicated that voters not planning to back the party cited ending the war and tackling inflation as their primary concerns. The New York Times also pointed to Trump's trade policies and his administration's handling of the economy as contributing to the Republican defeat."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on Netanyahu's election outcome"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The New York Times reported that the call took place a day after Israel's election, in which Netanyahu's bloc failed to secure a parliamentary majority. Anadolu Ajansı and TRT World also stated that Netanyahu's bloc failed to secure a majority. Berlingske.dk, however, stated that Trump was 'speechless with rage' as the disaster dawned, and his people talked about seeking asylum in Israel, without mentioning Netanyahu's election outcome."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the right-rated reports below mention the specific details of the internal presentation circulated among White House officials over the summer regarding Democratic support during active hostilities or diplomatic negotiations with Iran. Similarly, none of the right-rated reports mention the specific polling data from two weeks before the election that indicated voters' top concerns were ending the war and tackling inflation."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"berlingske.dk","url":"https://berlingske.dk/internationalt/trump-var-stum-af-raseri-da-katastrofen-daemrede-hans-folk-taler-om-at-tage-cyanid-og-soege-asyl-i-israel","headline":"Trump Was “Speechless with Rage” as the Disaster Dawned. His People Talk About Taking Cyanide and Seeking Asylum in Israel","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T18:46:02.000Z"},{"sourceName":"WIN","url":"https://worldisraelnews.com/bibi-will-save-us-trump-aides-joke-about-seeking-asylum-in-israel-after-midterms","headline":"'Bibi will save us' - Trump aides joke about seeking asylum in Israel after midterms","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T12:02:53.000Z"},{"sourceName":"i24NEWS","url":"https://i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/artc-maybe-we-could-get-asylum-in-israel-trump-strategists-joke-about-fleeing-country-before-midterms-report","headline":"‘Maybe we could get asylum in Israel,’ Trump strategists joke about fleeing country before midterms","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T10:27:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"anlatilaninotesi.com.tr","url":"https://anlatilaninotesi.com.tr/20261105/trump-ekibinin-secimden-6-gun-onceki-netanyahu-diyalogu-ortaya-cikti-belki-israilden-siginma-aliriz-1110129570.html","headline":"Trump Team Revealed Netanyahu Dialogue 6 Days Before Election: 'Maybe We'll Get Asylum From Israel'","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T10:03:12.788Z"},{"sourceName":"TRT World","url":"https://trtworld.com/article/b39f4e7a9639","headline":"Trump advisers joked about seeking asylum in Israel before midterm defeat, NYT reports","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T09:28:59.624Z"},{"sourceName":"Akşam","url":"https://aksam.com.tr/dunya/abd-secimi-oncesi-saka-yapmislar-kaybedersek-israile-siginiriz/haber-1712115","headline":"They Joked Before the US Election: If We Lose, We'll Take Refuge in Israel.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T09:28:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Habertürk","url":"https://haberturk.com/dunya/nyt-trump-in-danismanlari-abd-ara-secimleri-oncesi-israil-e-siginma-sakasi-yapti-3925138","headline":"NYT: Trump's Advisors Joked About \"Seeking Asylum in Israel\" Before the US Midterm Elections","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T09:26:43.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Israel Hayom","url":"https://israelhayom.com/2026/11/05/trump-strategists-joked-about-seeking-asylum-in-israel-days-before-republican-midterm-rout","headline":"Trump aides joked about pardons ahead of midterm wipeout","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T09:00:50.000Z"},{"sourceName":"turkiyegazetesi.com.tr","url":"https://turkiyegazetesi.com.tr/dunya/trumpin-danismanlari-israile-siginmayi-konusmus-gizli-toplanti-ortaya-cikti-1827351","headline":"Trump's Advisors Discussed Seeking Refuge in Israel! The Secret Meeting Has Been Revealed.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T08:39:50.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Anadolu Ajansı","url":"https://aa.com.tr/en/americas/trump-advisers-joked-about-seeking-asylum-in-israel-ahead-of-midterm-defeat-report/4112291","headline":"Trump Advisors Joked About Seeking Asylum in Israel Ahead of Midterm Defeat: Report","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-11-05T08:28:38.593Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":0,"centre":17,"right":83},"count":{"left":0,"centre":1,"right":5},"totalSources":10,"untracked":4,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-11-05T21:00:42.106470+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-11-05T22:00:23.117Z","closedAt":null,"checks":9,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":[],"centre":["TRT World led with the report that senior advisers to US President Donald Trump joked about seeking asylum in Israel days before the midterm elections. The report detailed the private video call where strategists discussed electoral defeat and included the exchange between James Blair and Tony Fabrizio. It also noted that the war with Iran and rising petrol prices contributed to the Republican defeat, and that Democrats focused on household costs and accused the administration of favouring the wealthy."],"right":["Right-rated reports focused on the joke about seeking asylum in Israel made by Trump's advisers. Headlines from Anadolu Ajansı, World Israel News, i24NEWS, and Israel Hayom highlighted this aspect. Anadolu Ajansı and TRT World (rated centre) also mentioned the war with Iran and economic concerns as contributing factors to the defeat. 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They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"Trump Advisers Joked About Asylum in Israel Before Midterm Loss\", https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/trump-advisers-joked-about-asylum-in-israel-before-midterm-loss.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}