U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a public endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27, backing the incumbent leader despite reports of strained relations between the two.
Trump posted his endorsement on Truth Social on Sunday, praising Netanyahu as a "great warrior prime minister" and declaring his "Complete and Total Endorsement" of the Israeli leader.
"BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!" Trump wrote in the post.
Trump also called Netanyahu "Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself."
The endorsement came nine days before the Israeli vote and after weeks of speculation that it might not come at all. Trump had declined to endorse Netanyahu earlier this month when asked repeatedly about the Israeli leader's job performance in an interview with a major publication, deflecting questions by shifting focus to his own popularity and regional security.
In a separate telephone interview published Sunday, Trump said his support for Netanyahu had never been in doubt.
"I was always going to do that. I just didn't want to do it too soon," Trump said, adding: "It is important that Israel has a person they can count on."
When asked whether he could work with a different Israeli leader, Trump was evasive. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Who wants to take the chance?" he replied.
Netanyahu's Likud Party and its far-right coalition are facing a close race against an opposition bloc led by Yashar party head Gadi Eisenkot.
The endorsement's impact on Israeli voters remains uncertain. Reports indicate many Israelis have expressed disappointment with Trump over the outcome of the war against Iran and his ceasefire proposals.
Trump and Netanyahu jointly launched a war against Iran on February 28. The conflict has driven up global oil and gas prices and eroded Trump's domestic support. A Pew Research Center poll conducted this month found that roughly two-thirds of U.S. voters disapprove of Trump's handling of the war.
In his endorsement post, Trump defended the decision to initiate the conflict, arguing it was only a matter of time before Iran would have attacked both the United States and Israel. He claimed the war had left Iran "systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially, and unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job."
"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.
The two leaders have met more than half a dozen times since January 2025, but their relationship has not been without friction. In June, Trump acknowledged calling Netanyahu "f***ing crazy" during a phone call in which he expressed frustration over Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Trump had reportedly urged Netanyahu not to take further action in Lebanon in an apparent effort to preserve a short-lived April ceasefire with Iran.
Experts have suggested that Trump's earlier reluctance to endorse Netanyahu may have stemmed from public perception that Israel drew the United States into the war against Iran.
Trump's Republican Party is also facing a critical midterm election on November 3, which will determine whether it retains control of Congress as well as key state and local offices.
