Just nine days before the October 27 election, US President Donald Trump has endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Truth Social on Sunday, praising his leadership and warning that America would have to confront Iran without Israel’s support if Netanyahu were replaced.
“To the great people of Israel,” Trump said, “Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran, with its 51-year-old chant, ‘Death to Israel, Death to America! We will destroy the Little Satan and the Big Satan.’”
The endorsement marks a reversal from Trump’s position during a Newsmax interview on Thursday, when he refused to endorse any candidate, including Netanyahu.
Then, Trump on Sunday portrayed Netanyahu as indispensable to US efforts to counter Iran, suggesting that any alternative Israeli leader would leave Washington to confront the Iranian threat on its own.
“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,” the US president wrote in the post.
Trump highlights Netanyahu's leadership through Israel's crises
Amid Israel’s election campaign, Trump praised Netanyahu as “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel itself.”
The US president also praised Netanyahu’s leadership in light of the challenges Israel has faced since the October 7 massacre, pointing to what he described as the prime minister’s resilience under extraordinary pressure.
“Despite all of that, he has endured and, in fact, he has thrived! I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times. Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure – But Bibi did not wilt; he actually got stronger and maintains that same Strength today,” he continued.
Trump pledges full support for Netanyahu ahead of election, the partner America needs
Trump went on to describe Netanyahu as “the kind of partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a country for which it has done so much.”
He concluded the post with an explicit endorsement of Netanyahu’s reelection bid.
“Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel. BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
Trump's close advisors opposed idea of public endorsement, sources tell 'Post'
Some of Trump’s closest advisers and allies have voiced concerns over the decision to publicly support Netanyahu, two sources familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post.
One key figure in this latest development may have been John McLaughlin. McLaughlin is a pollster for both Trump and Netanyahu, and the data he had at his disposal may have influenced the president’s decision.
Netanyahu thanks Trump for endorsement
Netanyahu thanked Trump for his endorsement in a post on his X/Twitter account, writing, “Thank you, President Trump, for the tremendous support and the joint work. Together we will complete the mission!”
Netanyahu also reposted a translation of Trump’s Truth Social post and, in a second post, shared a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post, with the flags of Israel and the US, respectively, with a heart emoji between them.
Eisenkot has respect for Trump but insists election is internal Israeli matter
Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot, who is seen as a main opposition candidate to replace Netanyahu as prime minister, responded to Trump on the N12 news site.
“I have very great respect for President Trump, but the only ones who will decide [the election] are the citizens of Israel, and I will continue to stand by that,” Eisenkot said.
Smotrich, Katz welcome Trump's statement
“President Trump is one of the State of Israel’s greatest friends in the world. He has walked a long path alongside us to bolster our [national] security. For that, every Israeli citizen should be grateful,” Religious Zionist Party leader and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said.
Trump “is also well aware of the tremendous achievements attained through the cooperation of our two nations and their leaders, and of [the degree to which] Netanyahu’s leadership has contributed to these successes. It has been a tremendous privilege for me to be a part of those achievements [and work] alongside both leaders over the past few years.” Smotrich added.
“The citizens of Israel are the ones who will decide the outcome of the elections. However, it would be wise to listen to the president of the world’s greatest superpower, simply because he is right,” he continued.
The right-wing “must continue to lead the State of Israel and, with God’s help, continue the cooperation between Israel and the United States to ensure the future of Israel’s security,” Smotrich said.
Defense Minister Israel Katz also welcomed Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu.
“I welcome Trump’s unequivocal support for Netanyahu ahead of the upcoming elections, as well as his tremendous appreciation for Netanyahu’s leadership over the past three years,” the minister, who is part of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, wrote.
Trump knows that “only Netanyahu can maintain the historic cooperation between the two leaders, as well as between the IDF and the US military, to achieve the remaining objectives of the campaign against Iran. This is an extremely important strategic message for Israel’s future security,” he added.