President Donald Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, breaking months of public restraint just nine days before Israel’s national election. The endorsement gave Netanyahu a late show of support from an ally whose relationship with him has been strained by disagreements over Iran and Gaza.
Trump called Netanyahu a “Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The October 27 election will be Israel’s first national vote since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and Netanyahu has made his relationship with Trump a selling point in his campaign.
The endorsement also carried a warning about future cooperation against Iran, explained NPR. Trump threatened to “soon finish the job” against Tehran “unless they change their ways, rapidly,” but suggested his willingness to act could depend on the election’s outcome.
“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. He called Netanyahu “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself.”
President Trump, my friend Donald – thank you for your extraordinary endorsement. Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House. Together we will never let Iran's regime get nuclear weapons. Thank you for your clarity, courage and unwavering support.@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/GqaOVB74Dj
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 18, 2026
Netanyahu welcomed the endorsement in a Hebrew-language statement on Twitter: “Thank you, President Trump, for the tremendous support and work together. Together we will complete the mission!” His Likud Party released a short video showing the two leaders together and highlighting Trump’s past praise.
Trump has backed Netanyahu in previous campaigns and wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog in November seeking a pardon for the prime minister on corruption charges. Until Sunday, however, he had stopped short of endorsing Netanyahu in this race. Asked in a Time magazine interview published this month whether he would offer his support, Trump said, “I’m not involved in politics anymore,” despite continuing to endorse and campaign for American candidates.
The two leaders appeared closely aligned after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025, but disagreements emerged during the nearly eight-month war with Iran. Trump criticized Israel’s decision early in the conflict to strike a major Iranian gas field, called Netanyahu “crazy” in June and said he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon were complicating negotiations with Tehran.
Gaza has been another source of friction. Netanyahu rejected the latest U.S. proposal to advance a stalled ceasefire in August, opposing an Israeli withdrawal from territory it controls until Hamas is disarmed.
The endorsement adds to Trump’s involvement in foreign elections during his second term. He supported Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s unsuccessful bid for a fifth term and has also backed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and several leaders in Latin America.
