Trump Endorses Netanyahu Ahead of Oct. 27 Vote, Warns Iran Fight Falls to US if He Loses
The president withheld his backing for months as the two leaders' strategies diverged, then called Netanyahu a "Great Warrior Prime Minister" and said America would have to do the work itself if Israel picks someone else.
President Trump on Sunday endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, giving him a coveted boost nine days before Israelis go to the polls. In a post on social media, Trump said Netanyahu "has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The endorsement carries weight because Trump remains popular in Israel, and it is one the U.S. president held back for months as his strategy in the Middle East and Netanyahu's moved apart. In a longer message on Truth Social, Trump wrote that 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!"
Netanyahu thanked Trump on X for what he called "tremendous support and the joint work." His Likud Party attached a 35-second video to the statement showing clips of the two leaders together and Trump praising the prime minister.
The post also carried a warning about Iran. Trump again threatened to "soon finish the job" against Tehran "unless they change their ways, rapidly." Then he added a condition tied directly to the Israeli ballot. "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 said.
Israelis vote on Oct. 27 in the first national election since the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023. The race is expected to be tight. Netanyahu leads what is described as the most nationalist and far-right government in Israel's history, one that faces criticism at home over security failures and criticism abroad over its treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Some of its senior officials are settlers themselves.
It is not yet clear how much the endorsement will move voters. Many Israelis, including leading commentators, have expressed disappointment over the inconclusive outcome of the war with Iran and over Trump's ceasefire proposal, which fell short of many of the key goals the two countries set when they jointly launched the war in February. That war is now nearly eight months old.
Trump and Netanyahu have been close allies and seemed more aligned than ever after the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities in 2025. But over the course of this year's war, the two disagreed on aspects of how to fight it and how to end it, and Trump kept his public support in reserve.
The timing puts the American president squarely inside a foreign campaign in its final stretch. Netanyahu's opponents have been hammering him over his handling of the Oct. 7 attacks, and a Trump-branded victory lap could help him with right-leaning voters while giving rivals a new line of attack. With the vote just over a week away, both campaigns now have a fresh news cycle to work with, and Iran policy has become part of the Israeli ballot itself.
