Their relationship—especially since they agreed to launch attacks on Iran in February—hasn't always been smooth, but President Trump on Sunday endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel's elections later this month. Calling the incumbent "Strong, Brave, and Brilliant" in facing opposition, NBC News reports, Trump posted, "This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much."
The Oct. 27 vote will be the first since Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people; another 250 were taken hostage. Netanyahu's coalition is trailing in most polls, on track to fail to win enough seats to form a government, per Axios. Trump had sidestepped opportunities to endorse him until Sunday, possibly because of the polls. It's often unclear whether endorsements are effective. Trump has been a US pioneer in issuing them in other nations' elections. He backed a winner in Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier this year, per Reuters, but failed to persuade Hungary to keep Viktor Orbán in power.
Disagreements between Trump and Netanyahu have included Israel's decision to attack Lebanon. They're still pressing the Iran war together, which Trump referred to on Sunday. "If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work [in Iran] ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so," he wrote on Truth Social.
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