Trump Endorses Netanyahu, Ties Future Iran Action To Israel Vote
President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection in an online post on Sunday, October 18, 2026, tying future U.S. action on Iran to Israel's vote.[1]
In the post, Trump called Netanyahu a "Great Warrior Prime Minister" and "an even greater Partner for Peace" and warned he would "soon finish the job" against Iran unless it changes course.[1] Likud posted Netanyahu's Hebrew statement thanking Trump and attached a 35-second campaign-style video.[1]
In November 2025, Trump wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging a pardon for Netanyahu, after withholding a public endorsement for months and at times criticizing some of his military decisions.[1] PBS and AP say Israel's October 27, 2026 election is the country's first national vote since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack.[1] They add Trump's standing in Israel has been dented by an inconclusive Iran war and by his ceasefire proposal.[1]
The endorsement fits a broader pattern in Trump's second term of publicly backing foreign figures such as Viktor Orbán, Sanae Takaichi and Karol Nawrocki.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Sunday, October 18, 2026, President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection in an online post.
- In the post Trump called Benjamin Netanyahu a 'Great Warrior Prime Minister' and 'an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,' and warned he would 'soon finish the job' against Iran unless it changes course while saying that if Israel has 'the wrong Leader ... America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so.'
- Likud posted on X on October 18 a Hebrew statement from Netanyahu thanking Trump 'for the tremendous support and work together,' and paired it with a 35‑second campaign-style video.
- Trump had withheld a public endorsement for months, and the article notes he recently called Netanyahu 'crazy' and criticized some Israeli military decisions in the Iran war.
- Israel's October 27, 2026 election will be the country's first national vote since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and PBS/AP reports that Trump's standing in Israel has been dented by an inconclusive Iran war and his ceasefire proposal.
- The piece recounts that Trump in November 2025 sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging a pardon for Netanyahu.
- The endorsement is presented as part of a broader second-term pattern in which Trump has publicly backed multiple foreign figures, including Viktor Orbán, Sanae Takaichi and Karol Nawrocki.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- On Sunday, October 18, 2026, President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection in an online post.
- Trump wrote that Netanyahu has been a 'Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran.'
- In the same post, Trump threatened to 'soon finish the job' against Iran unless it changes course, but said he might not want to do so if Netanyahu loses, adding that if Israel has 'the wrong Leader ... America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so.'
- Netanyahu responded on X on October 18 with a statement in Hebrew thanking Trump 'for the tremendous support and work together,' which Likud paired with a 35‑second campaign-style video of the two leaders.
- The article notes that Trump had withheld an endorsement for months despite past support and that he recently called Netanyahu 'crazy' and criticized some Israeli military decisions in the Iran war.
- PBS/AP add that Israel's October 27, 2026 election will be its first national vote since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and that Trump's standing in Israel has been dented by an inconclusive Iran war and his ceasefire proposal.
- The piece recounts that Trump in November 2025 sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog urging a pardon for Netanyahu on corruption charges.
- The report situates the endorsement within broader second-term behavior in which Trump has endorsed multiple foreign leaders, including Viktor Orbán, Sanae Takaichi and Karol Nawrocki.