US President Donald Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel's parliamentary elections on October 27, according to Al Jazeera. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump praised Netanyahu as a US ally in the war against Iran and said he was granting him a "Complete and Total Endorsement."
The endorsement arrived nine days before Israelis vote, following speculation that Trump might withhold his backing altogether. Al Jazeera reports that Netanyahu's Likud Party and its far-right coalition could lose the October contest to an opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, the head of the Yashar party.
Why it matters
The timing places the US president directly inside a close foreign election campaign. It also ties Netanyahu's political fortunes to an unpopular war. According to Al Jazeera, a Pew Research Center poll this month found that about two-thirds of US voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict, which has pushed up fuel prices and raised worries about depleted military stockpiles.
Trump's Republican Party faces its own midterm election on November 3, when control of Congress and other state and local offices will be decided. Al Jazeera notes that experts have suggested Trump's earlier reluctance to endorse Netanyahu may have stemmed from a public perception that Israel drew the US into the war.
A reversal after weeks of silence
Earlier this month, Trump declined to endorse Netanyahu when repeatedly asked about his job performance in a Time magazine interview. Al Jazeera reports that he steered the conversation toward his own popularity and Middle East security instead of answering.
Trump told Axios on Sunday that the endorsement was never in question. "I was always going to do that. I just didn't want to do it too soon," he said, according to Al Jazeera, adding that Israel needs a leader it can rely on. Axios reported that Trump gave an evasive answer when asked whether he could work with an Israeli leader other than Netanyahu.
The relationship has not been smooth. Al Jazeera reports the two leaders have met more than six times since January 2025, but disagreements have surfaced over the Iran war and other conflicts. In June, Trump acknowledged calling Netanyahu "f***ing crazy" during a phone call in which he voiced frustration over Israeli strikes on Lebanon. He had reportedly asked Netanyahu to hold back in Lebanon, apparently to protect a short-lived April ceasefire with Iran.
War rhetoric and a reply from Netanyahu
In his post, Trump defended the decision he and Netanyahu made to launch the war against Iran on February 28. He argued that Iran would eventually have attacked both countries, and said the conflict had left Iran "systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially." He warned that unless Iran changes course quickly, "we will soon finish the job."
Trump also framed the Israeli vote as a choice with consequences for Washington. He wrote that if Israel elects "the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves," adding that he is not inclined to do so. He described Netanyahu as "Strong, Brave, and Brilliant" despite opposition that he said comes from within Israel as well.
Netanyahu responded with a video thanking Trump. "I'm so honoured and humbled by your extraordinary endorsement," he said, according to Al Jazeera, calling Trump the greatest friend Israel has had in the White House. He also credited Trump with not being deterred by domestic criticism of the Iran war.
The Israeli leader addressed American voters directly, linking household costs to the Iran conflict. He said that if people are concerned about current gas prices, they should consider what would happen if Iran obtained nuclear weapons — something he said he and Trump will never permit. Once that threat disappears, he argued, fuel prices will fall, and he said that outcome depends on Trump remaining in office rather than on leaders who would accommodate Iran.
What to watch: whether the endorsement shifts a tight race in its final week, and how the Iran war and fuel prices play out in both the Israeli vote and the US midterms eight days later.
