Trump endorses Netanyahu days before Israeli election

Explainer

U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for re-election on Sunday, nine days before the October 27 vote.

Trump announced his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in a post on his Truth Social platform, addressed to "the Great People of Israel."

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"Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself," Trump wrote.

He added that Netanyahu "has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Why was the endorsement delayed?

The endorsement had been withheld for months as the leaders' strategies in the Middle East diverged.

Trump had refused to endorse Netanyahu earlier this month when asked in an interview with Time magazine, saying, "I’m not involved in politics anymore."

He told the news outlet Axios on Sunday that his endorsement was never in doubt.

"I was always going to do that. I just didn’t want to do it too soon," Trump said, adding, "It is important that Israel has a person they can count on."

When Axios asked if he could work with another Israeli leader, Trump replied, "Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Who wants to take the chance?"

What disagreements have the leaders had?

Trump and Netanyahu jointly launched a war against Iran on February 28, but the conflict has cost Trump domestic support.

A Pew Research Center poll found this month that roughly two-thirds of U.S. voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war, which has driven up consumer fuel prices.

In June, Trump acknowledged calling Netanyahu "f***ing crazy" in a phone conversation where he expressed frustration about Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.

Trump had reportedly asked Netanyahu not to take further action in Lebanon, in an apparent attempt to preserve a short-lived April ceasefire with Iran.

Trump also criticized Israel’s decision to attack a key Iranian gas field in the first weeks of the war and said he was "a little bit perturbed" as Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran.

Beyond Iran, Netanyahu in August rejected Trump’s latest plan to advance a stalled ceasefire in Gaza, pushing back on the U.S. administration’s call for Israel to withdraw from territory it controls.

How did Netanyahu respond?

Netanyahu promptly expressed his thanks to Trump on X, saying, "Together we will complete the mission!"

In a video posted on social media, Netanyahu said, "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 added.

Netanyahu also praised Trump for not being "set back by internal criticism" about the war against Iran.

He directed several comments to U.S. 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."

"When that threat of that regime disappears, gas prices will go down, and how. But only under Trump," Netanyahu said.

Will the endorsement help Netanyahu win?

The Trump endorsement is not certain to give Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party a boost, as Israeli public support for Trump has diminished amid Israeli-U.S. disagreements over Iran.

The absence of an endorsement had been a setback for Netanyahu, who had billed his tight ties to Trump as a selling point for staying in power.

Polls have suggested no candidate has a clear path to power, as Israel’s prime minister is chosen through coalition-building in parliament rather than by direct popular vote.

Netanyahu’s Likud Party and its far-right coalition are facing the prospect of losing the October contest to an opposition bloc led by Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot.

It will be Israel’s first vote since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that shook the country and plunged the Middle East into turmoil.

Has Trump endorsed other foreign leaders?

Trump has broken with longtime U.S. convention by endorsing candidates in elections in foreign countries.

He has previously endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his unsuccessful bid for a fifth term, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, and several Latin American leaders.

In his endorsement post, Trump defended the decision to go to war with Iran, arguing it was only a matter of time before Iran would have attacked both the U.S. and Israel.

"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," Trump wrote.

The election on October 27 will determine whether Netanyahu remains in power after one of the most consequential periods in Israel’s history.

With files from CityNews, NBC News and NBC4 Washington