Trump takes credit as Netanyahu bloc leads in vote count

President Trump claims his two endorsements of Prime Minister Netanyahu saved him from “decisive defeat” and handed the Israeli right either a “big come-from-behind stalemate or even a win.”

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Donald Trump claimed Tuesday night that his endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had helped turn a potentially decisive election defeat into a political deadlock or even a victory, as preliminary results showed Netanyahu performing better than pre-election polls had suggested.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump pointed to the apparent improvement in Netanyahu’s electoral fortunes following his public endorsement of the Israeli leader on October 18, nine days before Tuesday’s Knesset election.

“When President Trump endorsed Bibi Netanyahu, the whole tide turned, and now, rather than a decisive defeat for a Great Prime Minister, it looks like a big come-from-behind stalemate, or even a WIN for Netanyahu,” the president wrote.

“It all took place AFTER the Endorsement by President Trump, who only wants what is good for the Middle East, Israel, and the United States of America!”

The statement came as early Wednesday election results showed Netanyahu’s Likud party emerging as Israel’s largest political faction, with his right-wing and religious bloc making gains relative to most pre-election polling projections.

With nearly 42% of ballot boxes counted early Wednesday morning, Netanyahu’s bloc was projected to receive 57 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 47 for the opposition bloc led by former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot. The predominantly Arab parties were projected to receive the remaining 16 seats.

Neither main bloc had secured the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority, and the preliminary results remained subject to change as counting continued.

The figures nevertheless represented a substantial improvement over the final pre-election surveys published by Israel’s three major television networks on Friday, October 23. Those polls had uniformly projected Netanyahu’s bloc winning just 50 seats, with Likud itself receiving approximately 20 seats.

Most initial exit polls released at 10 p.m. Tuesday also suggested an inconclusive election, with Netanyahu’s bloc trailing the opposition by narrow margins. Only exit polls from Channel 14 and i24NEWS gave the right-wing bloc an advantage.

Revised exit polls from other outlets subsequently showed the blocs tied or Netanyahu’s camp holding a small lead.

Trump first endorsed Netanyahu on October 18, offering his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and praising him as a strong leader and an important American partner in confronting Iran.

The president subsequently renewed his support on October 25, urging Israelis to reelect Netanyahu and linking the outcome to continued cooperation against the Iranian regime.

“Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister, we have to finish the job that we started!” Trump wrote in that earlier message.

Speaking to reporters early Wednesday, Trump said he had heard that Netanyahu had performed well in the election, although he acknowledged that it was too early to determine the final outcome.