Trump endorses Netanyahu in Israeli legislative elections

In a social media post ahead of Israel’s October 27 election, Trump calls Netanyahu a ‘Strong, Brave, and Brilliant’ leader.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US President Donald Trump on July 28 in Washington, DC, the United States [File: AFP handout]

United States President Donald Trump has issued an endorsement of Israel’s incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a close race in parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27.

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump praised the Israeli leader for being an ally of the US in its war on Iran. He added that he was giving his “Complete and Total Endorsement” to Netanyahu.

list 1 of 3 In Israel, Netanyahu’s ultimate legacy is the opposition he has forged

list 2 of 3 The Israeli politicians seeking to replace Netanyahu

list 3 of 3 Despite long history with Netanyahu, Trump hedges as Israel vote nears

“BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote.

The US president’s backing comes nine days before the Israeli election — and after speculation that it might not come at all.

Trump had refused to endorse Netanyahu earlier this month, when asked repeatedly about the Israeli leader’s job performance in an interview with Time magazine.

Instead, when pressed by his interviewer, Trump avoided the subject, shifting the focus instead to his own popularity or security in the Middle East.

The two leaders have met more than a half dozen times since January 2025, but there have been reports of disagreements, including over the war against Iran and other conflicts.

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.

The two leaders had jointly launched a war against Iran on February 28, but the conflict has cost Trump domestic support.

The war has upended the global oil and gas supply, with no clear end in sight.

A Pew Research Center poll found this month that roughly two-thirds of US voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war, which has driven up consumer fuel prices and raised concerns about draining military stockpiles.

Trump’s Republican Party is facing a critical midterm election on November 3 that will decide whether it maintains control of the US Congress, as well as other key state and local offices.

Experts have speculated that Trump’s prior reticence to endorse Netanyahu may have come from public perception that Israel may have coaxed the US into the war.

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

In his endorsement on Sunday, Trump said it was only a matter of time before Iran would have attacked both the US and Israel.

The war, Trump argued, had already left Iran “systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially, and unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job”.

“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.

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

在以色列 10 月 27 日大选前的社交媒体帖子中，特朗普称内塔尼亚胡是一位“强大、勇敢、杰出”的领导人。

7月28日，以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡在美国华盛顿特区会见了美国总统唐纳德·特朗普。[图片：法新社供图]

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普公开支持以色列现任总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡，内塔尼亚胡在定于10月27日举行的议会选举中面临激烈的竞争。

周日，特朗普在Truth Social网站上发帖，称赞以色列领导人内塔尼亚胡是美国在伊朗战争中的盟友。他还表示，他“完全且彻底地支持”内塔尼亚胡。

列表 1/3：在以色列，内塔尼亚胡留下的最终遗产是他所建立的反对派。

名单 2/3：寻求取代内塔尼亚胡的以色列政治家

列表 3/3：尽管与内塔尼亚胡有着长期的交情，但随着以色列公投临近，特朗普的态度有所缓和。

“内塔尼亚胡绝不会让你们失望！”特朗普写道。

美国总统的支持是在以色列大选前九天宣布的——此前曾有猜测认为他可能不会表态。

本月初，特朗普在接受《时代》杂志采访时，被反复问及以色列领导人内塔尼亚胡的工作表现，但他拒绝公开支持这位领导人。

相反，当被采访者追问时，特朗普却回避了这个话题，反而将焦点转移到他自己的人气或在中东的安全问题上。

自 2025 年 1 月以来，两位领导人已经会晤了六次以上，但有报道称双方存在分歧，包括在对伊朗的战争和其他冲突问题上。

6 月，特朗普承认在一次电话交谈中称内塔尼亚胡“疯了”，当时他对以色列袭击黎巴嫩表示不满。

据报道，特朗普曾要求内塔尼亚胡不要在黎巴嫩采取进一步行动，显然是为了维护4月份与伊朗达成的短暂停火协议。

两位领导人于2月28日共同对伊朗发动战争，但这场冲突使特朗普失去了国内支持。

这场战争扰乱了全球石油和天然气供应，而且看不到尽头。

皮尤研究中心本月的一项民意调查发现，大约三分之二的美国选民不赞成特朗普对战争的处理方式，这推高了消费者燃料价格，并引发了人们对耗尽军事储备的担忧。

特朗普所在的共和党将于11月3日面临一场至关重要的中期选举，此次选举将决定该党是否能够继续控制美国国会以及其他重要的州和地方政府职位。

专家推测，特朗普此前不愿支持内塔尼亚胡，可能是因为公众认为以色列可能诱使美国卷入了这场战争。

内塔尼亚胡的利库德集团及其极右翼联盟也面临着在10月份的大选中输给由亚沙尔党领导人加迪·艾森科特领导的反对派联盟的前景。

特朗普在周日发表的支持声明中表示，伊朗袭击美国和以色列只是时间问题。

特朗普辩称，这场战争已经“在军事和经济上系统性地摧毁了伊朗，除非他们迅速改变做法，否则我们很快就会完成这项工作”。

“如果以色列选错了领导人，除了内塔尼亚胡之外的任何人，美国就不得不自己做这项工作，而我并不打算这样做，”特朗普写道。

“面对包括来自以色列自身在内的巨大反对，内塔尼亚胡一直表现得坚强、勇敢和卓越。”