Trump and Netanyahu’s once blossoming bromance sours at a pivotal moment for both men

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For years, Israelis driving the country’s highways in the final weeks of an election have seen the same image: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing beside President Donald Trump, under the slogan, “A different league.”

Less than two weeks before the October 27 vote, the billboards of Netanyahu are back.

This time, Trump is not on them.

The president still appears in some videos for Netanyahu’s Likud party, but his absence may signal something beyond advertising.

Trump has so far declined to endorse Netanyahu and has sidestepped questions on whether he should be reelected.

“I’m not involved in [Israeli] politics anymore,” he told Time earlier this month. On Thursday, Trump told Newsmax Netanyahu would like him to be involved in the election. “I’ve had a very good relationship with him,” he said, but avoided endorsing him again. When asked directly whether he trusts Netanyahu, he said bluntly, “I don’t trust anybody in the world of politics.”

For a campaign that has traditionally treated Netanyahu’s intimacy with the White House as a major electoral asset, the restraint is notable.

Trump has starred in Netanyahu’s campaigns since 2013, when still a businessman and TV personality, he released a video urging Israelis to “vote for Benjamin.”

When Trump entered the White House in 2017, he showered Netanyahu with political gifts.

About two weeks before Israel’s April 2019 election, Netanyahu was in Washington to watch Trump sign a historic proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights. In January 2020, five weeks before Israelis went again to the polls, Trump unveiled the Israeli-Palestinian “Deal of the Century” plan. Netanyahu stood smiling by his side.

Ahead of this election, there has been no red carpet. The last time Netanyahu and Trump met at the White House in August, there were no cameras. The two did not meet at all when Netanyahu traveled to New York for the UN General Assembly in September.

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Over the course of the last year, Netanyahu has taken steps that have drawn fury from Trump, including undermining Trump-led peace efforts by striking inside Lebanon and Gaza.

Trump has cursed the prime minister out in phone calls and warned him he’s losing support among Americans, according to people familiar with the conversations. He’s asked why Israel was blowing up apartment buildings in Lebanon and warned about the risk of a global economic downturn as a result of the Iran war.

Inside the White House, many of the moves were interpreted as election-year posturing by Netanyahu, whose internal politics are well known by Trump and his advisers. Over the summer, many Trump advisers came to the conclusion that Netanyahu was trying to prolong the Iran war to bolster his own political standing.

Trump has given Netanyahu a degree of leeway because of those political concerns, people familiar with the matter said. But he’s still grown frustrated at some of Israel’s actions, many of which he believes run counter to American interests.

Another person close to Trump suggested his lack of endorsement is tied to Netanyahu’s weakness in the polls. Trump has long been careful to avoid endorsing candidates who seem likely to lose.

In conversations over the past several months, Trump has quizzed Netanyahu about the election and his prospects, according to people familiar with the matter. While Netanyahu has sought to project confidence, Trump is well aware of the prime minister’s difficult political position.

As Netanyahu’s standing fell in the Trump administration, so did Trump’s standing in Israel.

According to Israeli sources close to Netanyahu, Trump was originally meant to be a centerpiece of Netanyahu’s campaign. Last December, at Mar-a-Lago, the prime minister announced that Trump would become the first non-Israeli to receive the prestigious Israel Prize. Netanyahu aides hoped Trump would accept the prize in person at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony in April, giving jumpstarting the campaign.

Then came the war with Iran.

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The joint US-Israeli attack began on February 28 with the two leaders projecting strategic harmony. Netanyahu thanked “my friend, President Donald Trump,” calling him “a leader who stands by his word.” Trump described the two of them as “war heroes” and publicly demanded that Israel’s president grant Netanyahu a pardon in his ongoing corruption trials.

‘This was communicated at every level’: Netanyahu military aide reveals internal warnings before October 7

But Trump never showed interest in attending the Israel Prize ceremony. By then, the fighting in Iran had ended and ceasefire talks were underway.

The Iran ceasefire and subsequent memorandum of understanding were deeply unpopular in Israel, particularly on the right. Yinon Magal, a pro-Netanyahu TV anchor, called Trump a “loser” after the deal was signed.

A July survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute found that only 7% of Israelis had “a great deal of trust” that Trump “will do the right thing” on US-Israel relations, and 45% had none.

“Trump’s stock in Israel, especially among right wing-voters, has weakened,” a Likud source said. “An endorsement would not necessarily have helped Netanyahu so much, so he did not invest much in it.” Another Likud source said, “It’s not as if Trump will endorse any other opponent, so it’s nice to have, but not a must.”

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Netanyahu’s opponents are watching, but with less alarm than before. “A year ago, our camp was calling anyone close to Trump to prevent an endorsement,” one senior opposition figure said. “Now it doesn’t really matter, the charm is not there.” Another opposition source said they had conveyed messages urging the White House to stay out of the race and appreciated that Trump has so far done so.

When Trump was asked specifically about who is currently polling as Netanyahu’s leading challenger, he said, “Well, I don’t know, I don’t hear bad things about him.” He then said, “They’ve written Bibi off many, many times, just like they’ve written me off many, many times. I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.”

Trump has his own reasons for distance. American public opinion of Israel has fallen sharply, declining even more against the backdrop of the Iran war. Israel’s average net favorability fell from +51 points in July 2018 to -16 in July 2026, according to multiple polls, a 67-point drop over eight years.

As America quickly soured on the Iran war, a source familiar with the relationship said, Trump has been “trying to shed the image that Netanyahu pulled him into it.”

Still, the apparent distance may be misleading. Israeli sources say the two leaders have recently discussed renewed strikes on Iran. Israeli security sources told CNN preparations are underway - pending Trump’s decision - with timing unclear because of the US midterm elections.

Netanyahu rejected suggestions he was seeking escalation before the vote.

“It is not convenient for us, it’s no good,” he told Army Radio this week. He complained that if Iran fired missiles at Israel, his opponents “will blame me.”

凯文·迪奇/盖蒂图片社/FILE

多年来，每逢选举的最后几周，驾车行驶在以色列高速公路上的以色列人都会看到同样的画面：总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡与总统唐纳德·特朗普并肩而立，标语是“截然不同的联盟”。

距离 10 月 27 日的投票日不到两周，内塔尼亚胡的广告牌又出现了。

这一次，特朗普没有参与其中。

总统仍然会出现在内塔尼亚胡的利库德集团的一些视频中，但他的缺席可能意味着一些与广告无关的事情。

特朗普至今仍拒绝支持内塔尼亚胡，并回避了有关他是否应该连任的问题。

“我不再参与（以色列）政治了，”他本月初告诉《时代》杂志。周四，特朗普告诉Newsmax新闻网，内塔尼亚胡希望他参与选举。“我和他关系很好，”他说，但再次避免公开支持内塔尼亚胡。当被直接问及是否信任内塔尼亚胡时，他直言不讳地说：“我不信任政界任何人。”

对于一个历来将内塔尼亚胡与白宫的密切关系视为主要选举优势的竞选团队来说，这种克制是值得注意的。

自 2013 年以来，特朗普一直是内塔尼亚胡竞选活动的明星。当时他还是个商人兼电视名人，发布了一段视频，敦促以色列人“投票给本杰明”。

2017年特朗普入主白宫后，他向内塔尼亚胡赠送了大量政治礼物。

2019年4月以色列大选前约两周，内塔尼亚胡在华盛顿见证了特朗普签署一项历史性声明，承认以色列对被占领的戈兰高地拥有主权。2020年1月，在以色列再次举行大选前五周，特朗普公布了以巴“世纪协议”计划。内塔尼亚胡面带微笑地站在他身旁。

这次选举前，双方都没有举行任何隆重的会晤。内塔尼亚胡和特朗普上次在白宫会面是在8月份，当时没有摄像机。9月份内塔尼亚胡前往纽约参加联合国大会时，两人也根本没有见面。

大卫·迪·德尔加多/路透社

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在过去一年中，内塔尼亚胡采取了一些激怒特朗普的措施，包括通过袭击黎巴嫩和加沙地带来破坏特朗普领导的和平努力。

据知情人士透露，特朗普在电话中对以色列总理破口大骂，并警告他正在失去美国民众的支持。他还质问以色列为何要在黎巴嫩炸毁公寓楼，并警告伊朗战争可能导致全球经济衰退。

在白宫内部，许多举措都被解读为内塔尼亚胡在选举年作秀，而特朗普及其顾问对内塔尼亚胡的内部政治运作早已了如指掌。今年夏天，许多特朗普的顾问得出结论：内塔尼亚胡试图延长伊朗战争，以巩固自身的政治地位。

知情人士透露，出于这些政治考量，特朗普给予了内塔尼亚胡一定程度的回旋余地。但他仍然对以色列的一些行为感到不满，他认为其中许多行为违背了美国的利益。

另一位与特朗普关系密切的人士暗示，他没有公开支持内塔尼亚胡与内塔尼亚胡民调支持率低迷有关。长期以来，特朗普一直谨慎地避免支持那些看似可能落败的候选人。

据知情人士透露，在过去几个月的谈话中，特朗普曾多次就选举及其前景向内塔尼亚胡提出质问。尽管内塔尼亚胡一直试图表现得信心满满，但特朗普非常清楚这位总理所处的政治困境。

随着内塔尼亚胡在特朗普政府中的支持率下降，特朗普在以色列的支持率也随之下降。

据接近内塔尼亚胡的以色列消息人士透露，特朗普原本是内塔尼亚胡竞选活动的核心人物。去年12月，在海湖庄园，内塔尼亚胡总理宣布特朗普将成为首位获得享有盛誉的以色列奖的非以色列人。内塔尼亚胡的助手们希望特朗普能够亲自出席4月份以色列独立日庆典并领奖，从而为竞选活动注入活力。

然后爆发了与伊朗的战争。

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美以联合攻击始于2月28日，两国领导人当时展现出战略上的和谐。内塔尼亚胡感谢“我的朋友，唐纳德·特朗普总统”，称他是一位“言而有信的领导人”。特朗普则称他们二人为“战争英雄”，并公开要求以色列总统赦免内塔尼亚胡正在进行的腐败审判。

“各层级都已沟通过此事”：内塔尼亚胡的军事助手透露，10月7日之前内部就已发出警告

但特朗普始终没有表现出出席以色列奖颁奖典礼的兴趣。那时，伊朗的战事已经结束，停火谈判正在进行中。

伊朗停火协议及其后的谅解备忘录在以色列国内，尤其是在右翼阵营中，极不受欢迎。亲内塔尼亚胡的电视主播伊农·马加尔在协议签署后称特朗普为“失败者”。

犹太人民政策研究所 7 月份的一项调查发现，只有 7% 的以色列人“非常信任”特朗普在美以关系上“会做正确的事情”，而 45% 的人完全不信任他。

一位利库德集团的消息人士称：“特朗普在以色列的支持率，尤其是在右翼选民中的支持率，已经下降。他的支持未必能给内塔尼亚胡带来多大帮助，所以他并没有在这方面投入太多精力。”另一位利库德集团的消息人士表示：“特朗普不太可能支持其他任何对手，所以他的支持固然好，但并非必要。”

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内塔尼亚胡的反对者们仍在密切关注，但已不像之前那样惊慌。“一年前，我们阵营会打电话给所有与特朗普关系密切的人，阻止他支持内塔尼亚胡，”一位反对派高层人士表示，“现在这已经无关紧要了，特朗普的魅力已经不复存在。”另一位反对派人士称，他们已向白宫传达信息，敦促其不要介入内塔尼亚胡的竞选，并对特朗普迄今为止的做法表示赞赏。

当被问及目前民调显示谁是内塔尼亚胡的主要挑战者时，特朗普说：“嗯，我不知道，我没听说过他的坏话。”然后他又说：“他们无数次地否定了比比（内塔尼亚胡），就像他们无数次否定了我一样。我不会低估比比。”

特朗普有他自己的理由疏远以色列。美国公众对以色列的看法急剧下降，在伊朗战争的背景下，这种下降趋势更加明显。多项民调显示，以色列的平均净好感度从2018年7月的+51个百分点降至2026年7月的-16个百分点，八年间下降了67个百分点。

一位熟悉美伊关系的消息人士称，随着美国迅速对伊朗战争感到不满，特朗普一直在“试图摆脱内塔尼亚胡把他拖入这场战争的形象”。

然而，表面上的距离可能具有误导性。以色列消息人士称，两国领导人最近讨论了再次对伊朗发动空袭的问题。以色列安全部门消息人士告诉CNN，相关准备工作正在进行中，目前正在等待特朗普的决定，但由于正值美国中期选举，具体时间尚不明确。

内塔尼亚胡否认了他在投票前寻求局势升级的说法。

“这对我们来说很不方便，一点好处都没有，”他本周对以色列陆军电台表示。他抱怨说，如果伊朗向以色列发射导弹，他的反对者“会把责任推到我身上”。