Trump backs Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s parliamentary vote
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he gives his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the country prepares for its parliamentary elections on Oct. 27. In a Truth Social post, Trump lauded the Israeli leader as a steadfast ally in the United States’ fight against Iran, adding the emphatic line, “BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
The endorsement arrives nine days before the vote and follows weeks of speculation that Trump might stay neutral. Earlier in the month, the former president declined to comment on Netanyahu’s performance when questioned by Time magazine, steering the interview toward his own popularity and Middle‑East security concerns.
Trump and Netanyahu have met more than half a dozen times since Jan. 2025, though reports have highlighted tensions over the war with Iran and related conflicts. In June, Trump admitted in a phone call that he called the Israeli premier “f***ing crazy” while expressing frustration over Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. He reportedly urged Netanyahu not to expand the fighting, hoping to preserve a brief April ceasefire with Iran.
The two leaders jointly launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, a conflict that has strained Trump’s domestic standing. The war has disrupted global oil and gas supplies, and a Pew Research Center poll released this month found roughly two‑thirds of U.S. voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the crisis, citing rising fuel prices and worries about depleted military stockpiles.
Republicans face a pivotal midterm election on Nov. 3 that will determine control of Congress and numerous state and local offices. Some analysts suggest Trump’s earlier hesitation to back Netanyahu stemmed from concerns that Israel may have drawn the United States into the war.
Netanyahu’s Likud party, together with its far‑right coalition, confronts the possibility of defeat at the hands of an opposition bloc led by Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot.
Speaking to Axios on Sunday, Trump insisted his support for Netanyahu was never in doubt. “I was always going to do that. I just didn’t want to do it too soon,” he said in a brief telephone interview, adding that Israel needs a leader it can rely on. When asked whether he could work with another Israeli leader, Trump replied, “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Who wants to take the chance?”
In the same Truth Social message, Trump defended the decision to confront Iran, arguing that an attack on the United States and Israel was inevitable. He claimed Iran has been “systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially, and unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job.” He continued, “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.” He concluded, “Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself.”
Netanyahu responded with a video thanking Trump, stating, “I’m so honoured and humbled by your extraordinary endorsement. There’s never been a greater friend of Israel in the White House. That’s an understatement.” He also praised Trump for not being “set back by internal criticism” about the war and addressed American voters, saying, “Let me say to the American people: If you are worried about today’s gas prices, think of what will happen if Iran gets nuclear weapons, something that Donald Trump and I will never allow.” He added, “When that threat of that regime disappears, gas prices will go down, and how. But only under Trump. It’s not going to happen with those who want to accommodate and appease these tyrants.”