Trump teases possible endorsement in Israel’s October election

President Trump says it would be best if he stayed out of the upcoming Israeli election – then suggests he may endorse “somebody” anyway.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Donald Trump declined to throw his support behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October election on Monday, saying it would be more appropriate to avoid intervening in the race — while leaving open the possibility that he could endorse a candidate later.

“I think it’s most appropriate for me to stay out of Israeli elections, but I may endorse somebody,” Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst during a phone call Monday.

The carefully hedged response marked a shift from Trump’s comments just two months ago, when he indicated that Netanyahu was the candidate he was most inclined to support.

“I’ll have to look at who’s running, but I like Bibi very much. I would be most likely to endorse him,” Trump told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan on June 18.

At the time, Trump nevertheless added that Netanyahu needed to be “a little bit more rational,” amid mounting disagreements between Washington and Jerusalem over Israel’s military operations.

Trump’s latest comments come as Netanyahu prepares for a difficult reelection battle in Israel’s October 27 election and as relations between the two longtime allies have become increasingly strained.

Most recent polls have shown Netanyahu’s governing bloc well short of the 61 seats required for a Knesset majority.

Only surveys conducted by pollster Shlomo Filber for Channel 14 have regularly given Netanyahu and his right-wing allies a Knesset majority.

Other polls have generally put the parties in his current coalition at between 49 and 59 seats, while opposition parties have collectively reached between 61 and 71.

Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, has emerged as Netanyahu’s most formidable challenger in several recent polls.

Trump has reportedly been paying close attention to Netanyahu’s electoral prospects.

During Netanyahu’s July visit to Washington, Trump asked the prime minister how he was performing in the polls. Netanyahu paused before an aide interjected, “Mr. President, he is winning,” according to a US official familiar with the exchange.

Trump has repeatedly avoided endorsing Netanyahu when asked about the Israeli election in recent weeks.

His hesitation reportedly stems both from Netanyahu’s weak polling position and from growing disagreements between the two governments over Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

The relationship between Trump and Netanyahu was exceptionally close during Trump’s first term and remained strong after his return to the White House. But the two leaders’ interests have increasingly diverged during 2026.

Trump has privately grown frustrated with Netanyahu’s handling of several regional conflicts, according to US officials, with the president recently describing the Israeli leader as “his own worst enemy.”

The tensions have been particularly evident over Gaza.

Netanyahu earlier this month rejected key aspects of Trump’s Board of Peace proposal for implementing the next stage of the Gaza agreement, insisting that Israel would not withdraw its forces until Hamas had genuinely disarmed.

The White House has pushed Israel to restrain its military operations while attempting to advance the disarmament plan.

Trump reinforced that disagreement during his conversation with Yingst on Monday, saying Israel should not currently be carrying out strikes in Gaza and expressing confidence that Hamas was moving toward disarmament.

The two leaders have also clashed over Lebanon and Iran.

Trump has repeatedly pressed Netanyahu to limit Israeli military action when he believed it threatened US diplomatic initiatives, producing some of the sharpest public and private exchanges between the two men in years.

Despite those disputes, Trump has continued to intervene publicly on Netanyahu’s behalf in another arena, repeatedly calling on Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant the prime minister a full pardon in his ongoing corruption trial.

Trump’s political involvement in Israel would itself be unusual.

US presidents have traditionally refrained from formally backing candidates in Israeli elections, but Trump has frequently endorsed political allies in foreign countries and has not shown the same reluctance to weigh in on the domestic politics of other nations.

Netanyahu’s opponents have reportedly been concerned that a Trump endorsement could still provide the prime minister with a significant boost. Eisenkot, opposition leader Yair Lapid and former prime minister Naftali Bennett have privately sent messages to Trump’s circle urging the president to remain neutral, according to Axios.