Trump gives Netanyahu ‘complete and total’ endorsement in election race, vows to ‘finish job’ in Iran together
Trump says he could 'maybe' work with another Israeli leader, but 'who wants to take the chance?'
After weeks of speculations, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday offered a full-throated endorsement of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming Israeli elections in a long post on his social media platform Truth Social.
Addressing the “great people of Israel,” Trump said his letter is a “Complete and Total Endorsement” for Netanyahu, whom he dubbed “a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Trump noted that the regime has been calling for the destruction of both Israel and the U.S. for over 50 years, adding that it would have tried to carry out this slogan “but they have been 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. Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself… 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. 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.”
Trump concluded his letter with an all-caps message: “BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
The strongly worded endorsement came as somewhat of a surprise, against the background of reports that Netanyahu’s rivals had urged Trump to remain neutral while the president himself declined to answer direct questions about the issue.
“I’m not involved in [Israeli] politics anymore,” he told Time several weeks ago, while last week, he told Newsmax that he “had a very good relationship with him,” while avoiding a direct endorsement. Asked whether he trusted the prime minister, Trump retorted, “I don’t trust anybody in the world of politics.”
הצביעו מחל 🇮🇱 https://t.co/snX1Xd4eXo
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 18, 2026
Netanyahu himself quickly integrated the endorsement into his campaign messaging. On his social media channels, he shared a poster claiming that “the enemies of Israel want Netanyahu to lose,” showing PA President Mahmoud Abbas, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and NCY Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Below, the picture showed Trump and Netanyahu hugging with the caption, “the friend of Israel wants Netanyahu to win.”
Addressing Israelis who have yet to make up their minds in a video message, Netanyahu urged them “to listen well to the things President Trump said this evening… He said that we did wonderful things together. We battered Iran and its axis, we pushed away the immediate threat of nuclear bombs. But there is a mission to complete, and he said that he would do this with me.”
“He said, ‘I can’t do this with someone else.’ But this partnership between us, that did so many things, will continue in order to complete in the next two years—maybe even before then—the elimination of the Iranian threat.”
President Trump, my friend Donald - thank you for your extraordinary endorsement. Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House. Together we will never let Iran's regime get nuclear weapons. Thank you for your clarity, courage and unwavering support. @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/GqaOVB74Dj
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 18, 2026
This, Netanyahu argued, is the only existential consideration during these elections, “and President Trump says, ‘I will do this only if we two do this together’. Therefore, I ask you, listen to him. Consider these things and vote for me.”
In a first response from Netanyahu’s rivals, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot said on Channel 12 that he respected Trump for what he had done for Israel, “but the only ones who will decide are the citizens of Israel, and I will stand firm on that.”
In the past, American presidents signaled their support for a certain candidate, but this is the first time ever a president explicitly and unequivocally endorsed an Israeli prime minister.
However, Trump has endorsed NEtanyahu several times before winning the presidency.
Commenting on the surprising endorsement, Channel 12 News’ political analyst Amit Segal—often accused of supporting Netanyahu—said that he had estimated the likelihood of such an event at only around 30% last week, with most Israeli polls projecting a very low chance for Netanyahu to come out on top in the Oct. 27 elections.
The fact that Trump chose to issue such a clear endorsement suggest that the White House is believing polls that project Netanyahu to win, Segal assessed.
Netanyahu later thanked Trump in another video message. “Israel has never had a greater friend in the White House. Together we will never let Iran’s regime get nuclear weapons. Thank you for your clarity, courage and unwavering support,” he said.
Speaking to the news outlet Axios in the evening, Trump said he “was always going to do that. I just didn't want to do it too soon.”
The endorsement came because of their “good relationship,” Trump said, and they would “continue to do well” together in the future. “It is important that Israel has a person they can count on,” Trump said.
Asked about the possibility of working with another Israeli prime minister, Trump said, “Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Who wants to take the chance?”
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