President Trump declined to explicitly endorse Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection bid despite extensive public displays of support for the Israeli leader, according to statements made in an interview with Time magazine. When asked directly whether Netanyahu should receive another term, Trump instead pivoted to discussing his own popularity in Israel and the administration’s policy positions regarding the country.
Trump emphasized his administration’s continued security assistance to Israel and referenced his decision during his earlier tenure to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He further highlighted his stated priority of preventing Iran from developing nuclear capabilities. The president also defended his relationship with Netanyahu, noting their frequent meetings and pushing for a pardon in the Israeli leader’s corruption case.
The evasion of a direct endorsement comes as the Trump administration faces internal criticism over Middle East policy, particularly regarding the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran that commenced in February. This conflict has contributed to rising fuel prices in the United States and emerged as a significant political concern heading into the midterm elections in November. Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House as recently as July despite ongoing concerns about Israeli obstruction of peace efforts in Gaza.
When pressed on whether U.S. security support would be affected if opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot prevailed in the October 27 vote, Trump stated he did not hear negative reports about Eisenkot. Trump also defended Netanyahu against reports that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates had warned him of potential attacks before October 7, 2023, saying Netanyahu would have taken action had he possessed such information.
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