President Donald Trump on Sunday, October 18, endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, posting a letter on Truth Social addressed to "the Great People of Israel." Israelis vote on October 27, nine days after the post.
The letter offered Trump's "Complete and Total Endorsement" of Netanyahu, whom he called a "Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace" in confronting Iran. "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 also said Netanyahu "will never let you down." According to CNN, Trump hinted at a possible resumption of hostilities in the war with Iran, which the US launched alongside Israel eight months ago, saying that if Iran does not change its ways, "we will soon finish the job."
In a brief phone interview with Axios journalist Barak Ravid, Trump said the timing was deliberate. "I was always going to do that. I just didn't want to do it too soon," he said. Asked whether he could work with a different Israeli leader, he said, "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Who wants to take the chance?" Netanyahu thanked Trump for the "tremendous support and the joint work." He also posted an image contrasting Trump with figures he described as Israel's enemies, with the caption "A friend of Israel wants Netanyahu to win," ABC Australia reported.
The endorsement followed a period of public reluctance. According to the Algemeiner, Trump said five days earlier that he had not considered endorsing a candidate. On Friday, he told Newsmax he had a very good relationship with Netanyahu but, asked if he trusted him, said, "I don't trust anybody in the world of politics." Earlier this month he told Time he was not involved in Israeli politics anymore.
CNN reported that the relationship has been rocky, citing people familiar with the conversations who said Trump cursed at Netanyahu over Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Gaza. ABC Australia reported that in June, after Netanyahu ordered strikes on central Beirut, Trump called him an expletive-laden "crazy." Axios reported, per the Algemeiner, that some of Trump's closest advisers believed the administration could pursue its aims more effectively with a different Israeli government. Netanyahu's campaign billboards this year do not feature Trump, unlike in past elections, CNN said.
ABC Australia reported that polling suggests Netanyahu's Likud party could finish second in the Knesset, behind Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party. Netanyahu could still remain prime minister because of coalition negotiations needed to form a majority. He also faces a corruption case in Israeli courts and an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
