Trump's late backing comes as the two leaders’ strategies on Iran and Gaza have diverged, and he warns the US may not “do this work” if Israel changes leaders.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday endorsed embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the final stretch of his reelection campaign.
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The endorsement is a coveted boost given Trump’s popularity in Israel, but one he withheld for months as the vote approached and the two leaders’ strategies in the Middle East diverged.
In a post on social media, Trump said that Netanyahu “has been a great warrior prime minister and an even greater partner for peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Israelis are set to vote on 27 October in the first national elections since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023.
“Thank you, President Trump, for the tremendous support and work together,” Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language statement on X. “Together we will complete the mission!”
The lack of an endorsement had been a blow to the Likud party politician, who has billed his close ties to Trump as a selling point for staying in power.
Likud attached a 35-second video to the statement, showing clips of the two leaders together and Trump praising Netanyahu.
It is not yet clear what impact the endorsement will have on a race expected to be tight.
The absence of an endorsement was a setback for the Likud politician, who had billed his tight ties to the Republican president as a selling point for staying in power.
Trump's endorsement comes after months of reticence
Trump has backed Netanyahu in past elections, and in November he wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu on corruption charges.
In recent months, however, Trump’s remarks about the prime minister had been far more subdued, and he repeatedly demurred when asked whether he would support him.
Asked about it in a Time magazine interview published this month, Trump said, “I’m not involved in politics anymore,” even though he continues to campaign for and endorse US politicians.
Trump remains popular in Israel; however, many Israelis, including leading commentators, have voiced disappointment over the inconclusive outcome of the Iran war and over Trump’s ceasefire proposal, which fell short of many of the key goals the two countries had set when they jointly launched the war in February.
In his post on Sunday, Trump again threatened to “soon finish the job” against Iran “unless they change their ways rapidly." He added that he might not want to if Netanyahu loses.
“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 said.
He described Netanyahu as “strong, brave, and brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel itself.”
Trump and Netanyahu have long been close allies and appeared more aligned than ever after the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in 2025. Over the course of the nearly eight-month war with Iran this year, however, they have clashed.
Trump criticised Israel’s decision to attack a key Iranian gas field in the first weeks of the war. In June he called Netanyahu "crazy", and he said he was “a little bit perturbed” that Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran.
On Gaza, Netanyahu in August rejected Trump’s latest plan to advance a stalled ceasefire. The plan called for Israel to withdraw from territory it controls in Gaza before Hamas has been disarmed, and Netanyahu pushed back on it.
Especially in his second term, Trump has sought to put his stamp of approval on candidates in foreign elections claiming credit when they win.
He endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his unsuccessful bid for a fifth term, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and several Latin American leaders.