Trump Endorses Netanyahu in Israeli Election

President Donald Trump has endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his reelection campaign.

“Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday morning.

Trump suggested that America needs the “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant” Netanyahu to stay in office to help fight the war against Iran, which began on Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israeli militaries joined forces to kill Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of senior officials.

“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 added.

The conflict in Iran is in its seventh month and has disrupted global energy markets across the world and increased uncertainty in the region, as the regime has used the Strait of Hormuz as a negotiating tool while targeting ships. 

It’s unclear if Trump’s endorsement will boost support in the country for Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. 

Netanyahu leads the longtime right-wing Likud party and was first elected to the position in 1996. 

Candidates vying to replace him include former General Gadi Eisenkot of the new Yashar party, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of the Together party, former Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, and former senior army officer Yair Golan of the Democrats. 

Polling averages show that no candidate has a clear lead.

The Together party was formed by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who ousted Netanyahu in 2021, but the coalition collapsed more than a year later over internal divisions, and Netanyahu won another election in November 2022 to retake power.

Bennett’s campaign messages focus on healing the nation after the October 7 attack and trying to stop Israel’s growing international isolation.

The election in Israel is scheduled for Oct. 27, and is the first national election held in the country since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.