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Trump endorses Netanyahu nine days before Israeli election
In a Truth Social post, the US president gave Benjamin Netanyahu his "complete and total endorsement" for reelection, calling him a "Great Warrior Prime Minister" against Iran; Israel votes October 27.
Why it matters
US President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection on October 18, nine days before Israel's parliamentary election. In a post on Truth Social he wrote: "Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel."
Trump called Netanyahu a "Great Warrior Prime Minister" and an even greater "Partner for Peace" against Iran. He warned that if Israel elects a different leader, the United States might have to "do this work ourselves" on Iran: "If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so."
Full report
Axios first reported the endorsement on October 18. Polls show Netanyahu struggling to reach the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. Netanyahu responded on X in Hebrew: "Thank you, President Trump, for your tremendous support and for our work together. Together we will complete the mission!" His Likud Party released a 35-second video of clips of the two leaders together.
Notably, on October 13 at Andrews Air Force Base, Trump had said he had "not thought about" endorsing a candidate at all — a shift after months of withholding a clear public commitment as the two leaders' Middle East strategies diverged.
Trump also threatened that the US and Israel would "soon finish the job" against Iran "unless they change their ways, rapidly." The Associated Press notes the October 27 vote is Israel's first national election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership.
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