Trump Gives Netanyahu ‘Complete and Total Endorsement’ Nine Days Before Israeli Election

Oct19
Trump Gives Netanyahu ‘Complete and Total Endorsement’ Nine Days Before Israeli Election

Debbie Weiss

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, Dec. 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

US President Donald Trump on Sunday threw his support behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection bid, warning that choosing another leader could leave Washington to confront Iran without an Israeli partner willing to do the same, as the two allies seek to navigate the next phase of their military campaign against Tehran.

In an unusually direct intervention in Israeli politics, Trump posted a letter on Truth Social to “the Great People of Israel” offering his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Netanyahu ahead of the elections later this month.

“Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting [sic] the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

Trump warned that Iran, which has long threatened to destroy Israel and the US, had been severely weakened by their joint military campaign but could face further attacks unless it changed course.

“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 said.

Trump praised Netanyahu for resisting pressure during nearly eight months of regional conflict, including opposition from within Israel.

“Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself. Despite all of that, he has endured and, in fact, he has thrived!” Trump wrote.

“I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times,” he continued. “Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure — But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today. This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much.”

Trump concluded his message with an emphatic assurance to Israeli voters: “BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

The endorsement came after months in which Trump had conspicuously declined to back Netanyahu, despite repeated questions about the Israeli election and the prime minister’s emphasis on his close relationship with the American president.

In a telephone interview with Axios on Sunday, Trump said the timing had been deliberate.

“I was always going to do that. I just didn’t want to do it too soon,” he told veteran journalist Barak Ravid.

Trump stressed his good relationship with Netanyahu, saying, “It is important that Israel has a person they can count on.”

Asked whether he could work with a different Israeli leader, Trump declined to offer an assurance.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Who wants to take the chance?” he said.

The remarks represented a significant change from Trump’s position just five days earlier, when he told reporters that he had not even considered endorsing a candidate, although he acknowledged that he might do so.

His reluctance coincided with disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem over the military campaign against Iran, as well as Netanyahu’s rejection of elements of the administration’s plans for Gaza.

According to Axios, some of Trump’s closest advisers believed the administration could pursue its Middle East objectives more effectively with a different Israeli government. Trump himself had expressed frustration with Netanyahu in private conversations, questioning aspects of his leadership and his handling of Israel’s international relationships, the outlet reported.

Netanyahu immediately welcomed the endorsement, posting a video montage of the two leaders together and thanking the president for his backing and their work together.

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 later Sunday, Netanyahu described Trump’s support as personally gratifying and argued that their relationship was an important strategic asset for Israel.

The prime minister urged voters to consider which Israeli leader would be capable of working with Trump during the remaining two years of his presidency, particularly in confronting regional threats and expanding the Abraham Accords, the normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries.

Netanyahu questioned whether his leading challenger, former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, possessed the diplomatic experience or capabilities necessary to work with the American administration.

Eisenkot, who heads the centrist Yashar party and has emerged as Netanyahu’s principal challenger, said he respected Trump but rejected the suggestion that the US president should influence Israel’s choice of leader.

He insisted that Israel’s election was a domestic matter and that Israeli citizens alone would determine the next government.

“I have great respect for the president; he is a great friend of Israel. But the elections in Israel are an internal Israeli matter, and the only ones who will decide are the citizens of Israel,” he told Israel’s Channel 12 news.

Asked whether he had tried to prevent Trump’s endorsement, Eisenkot said there had been several meetings that he did not wish to discuss in detail, and that he had specifically requested that the US president refrain from intervening in Israel’s election.

Eisenkot separately addressed the possibility of renewed fighting against Iran, saying he was not aware of intelligence requiring urgent military action before the election. He expressed confidence in IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir to assess any immediate threat.

The exchange followed a Channel 12 report last week that Netanyahu had pressed Trump to resume attacks against Iran ahead of both Israel’s election and the Nov. 3 US midterms.

American officials familiar with the discussions reportedly believed Netanyahu wanted military action before the votes, citing developments in Iran’s nuclear program.

Netanyahu’s office denied the report.

Trump had previously indicated that he did not intend to resume strikes before the American election, although both countries have continued military preparations amid uncertainty over Tehran’s nuclear activities and the future of negotiations.

The US and Israel launched their latest war against Iran in February, following earlier joint strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025. The prolonged confrontation has disrupted regional energy markets and drawn in other countries across the Middle East.

The two leaders have differed over the scope and timing of military operations, with Trump publicly criticizing particular Israeli strikes and expressing frustration over their impact on diplomatic efforts.

Trump’s endorsement also comes amid an exceptionally close Israeli election campaign, with most recent surveys showing neither Netanyahu’s coalition nor the parties seeking to replace him commanding a clear parliamentary majority.

A Kan public broadcaster poll published Sunday projected 52 seats for the bloc aligned with Eisenkot and 51 for Netanyahu’s coalition, leaving both short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in Israel’s 120-member Knesset.

A Channel 14 survey, by contrast, projected a narrow majority for Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc. Channel 14 is a right-wing Israeli channel generally supportive of the Netanyahu-led coalition.

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