Middle East & North Africa
Trump gives Netanyahu “Complete and Total” support nine days before Israel’s election – “There has never been a greater friend of Israel in the White House”
Donald Trump publicly backed Benjamin Netanyahu nine days before Israel’s October 27 election, calling him “strong, brave and brilliant”; Netanyahu thanked him in a video posted on X.
US President Donald Trump gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his “Complete and Total” support on Sunday, October 18, nine days before Israel’s parliamentary election on October 27. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump called Netanyahu “strong, brave and brilliant” and wrote in capital letters: “BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
According to the same post, if Israel has the “wrong leader, meaning anyone other than Bibi”, America would have to do the job on its own. Trump also defended the decision to go to war with Iran, which the two leaders launched together on February 28, arguing that Tehran would eventually have attacked the US and Israel.
In a telephone interview with the Axios website the same day, the American president said he had always intended to do it and simply did not want to do it too early. Asked whether he could work with another Israeli leader, he answered: “Maybe yes, maybe no. Who wants to risk it?” Earlier in October, in an interview with Time, he had avoided openly backing Netanyahu.
Netanyahu: “honoured and humbled”
Netanyahu replied with a post and a video in English on X: “President Trump, my friend Donald, thank you for your tremendous support.” In the video he said he felt “honoured and humbled” and that there has never been a greater friend of Israel in the White House.
The endorsement comes in a tight race, with the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, facing the Likud. Israeli media reported that an opposition source described the support as “compensation” to Netanyahu for refusing to strike Iran again.
A relationship with disagreements
The relations between the two leaders have not always been smooth, with disagreements especially over Lebanon. In June Trump admitted he had called Netanyahu “crazy” in a phone call. The war with Iran has cost the American president domestic support: a Pew poll shows about two in three voters disapprove of his handling of it, while Republicans are bracing for the midterm elections on November 3.
The same day Netanyahu spoke about the relationship with Ankara, saying he hopes there will be no direct clash with Turkey. On the Iranian front, Tehran presented a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under conditions.