Trump's second term opened with Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House before almost anyone else, a sign of how much influence Israel still holds in Washington.

• Netanyahu got the first foreign leader slot just weeks after the January inauguration.
• The two men were not on warm terms — Trump had nursed a public grudge since Netanyahu congratulated Joe Biden on the 2020 election.
• Trump called that election stolen, and he brought up the slight repeatedly in private and in public.
• Putting Israel ahead of a crowded list of domestic problems says more about the relationship's weight than about personal friendship.

Outlook: Expect Israel to stay near the front of the line on Trump's foreign policy agenda, personal grievances aside.