Trump gives Netanyahu "complete and total endorsement" ahead of Israeli election

ISRAEL — US President Donald Trump on Sunday declared his "complete and total endorsement" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nine days before Israel's general election on 27 October, according to Middle East Eye and Anadolu Agency.

Trump made the statement in a long message on his Truth Social platform, addressed to the Israeli people. He called Netanyahu "strong, brave, and brilliant".

"I have watched Bibi under the most trying of times," Trump wrote, according to Middle East Eye. He said that many people would have "wilted under the pressure", but that Netanyahu "did not wilt" and "actually got stronger".

Trump described the post as a letter meant to represent his support for Netanyahu's bid for re-election. He wrote that Netanyahu "will never let you down", according to the same report.

Iran warning

Trump also referred to Iran. Middle East Eye reported that he said the United States would "finish the job soon" with Tehran unless it changed course. Anadolu said the message highlighted Netanyahu's partnership with Washington in confronting Iran.

"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." — Donald Trump, US president, in a Truth Social post

Both outlets quoted that passage. Middle East Eye said Trump suggested he would be reluctant to act without Netanyahu in office.

Polls show deadlock

The endorsement comes as opinion polls point to a stalemate between Netanyahu's coalition and an opposition bloc led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, according to Middle East Eye.

A Maariv poll published on Sunday put each bloc at 51 seats. A majority in the Israeli parliament requires 61. Middle East Eye said the projected deadlock has held in polls throughout the campaign.

The same report said respondents were asked who was better suited to serve as prime minister. Eisenkot led Netanyahu by 48 percent to 41 percent.

Anadolu described the campaign as politically sensitive for Netanyahu. It said his leadership was being scrutinised over security, the war in Gaza and Israel's international standing.

Unconfirmed

The sources do not report any response from Eisenkot or his bloc to the endorsement. They also do not say what, if anything, Trump meant by the US "finishing the job" with Iran. Neither source gives details of any planned US action.

Background

Netanyahu and Trump last appeared together in the sources at a joint press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on 29 December 2025, according to a photo caption from Middle East Eye.

Anadolu reported that Israel has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured more than 175,000 in Gaza since October 2023, according to Palestinian authorities. It said about 90 percent of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the same authorities.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, Anadolu reported. The International Court of Justice, the UN's main judicial body, is also hearing a case brought by South Africa. The case, which several countries have joined, accuses Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.