There are many versions of this joke; it may be mere political folklore:

1. The Ben-Gurion & Eisenhower Version

Eisenhower lamented how difficult it was to be the president of 170 million people. David Ben-Gurion fired back: “You think that’s hard? Try being the prime minister of two million prime ministers.”

2. The Golda Meir & Richard Nixon Version

During Golda Meir’s first state visit to Washington in September, 1969, seeking critical military aid, Nixon suggested she didn’t appreciate the difficulty getting things done in America: “Madam Prime Minister, you have to understand, it’s difficult to get things done here, America is not like Israel; I’m the president of 150 million Americans.”

Meir countered, “Mr. President, I assure you I do understand, and if you think that your job is difficult,........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)