Trump Gives Netanyahu 'Complete and Total Endorsement' Before Vote

President Donald Trump on Sunday gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu his “Complete and Total Endorsement” for reelection, nine days before Israelis go to the polls on October 27, according to a post on Trump’s Truth Social account reported by The Times of Israel and the Associated Press.

“Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote in the post, which was addressed “To the Great People of Israel,” according to Israel National News, which published the full text. Axios reporter Barak Ravid was among the first to share the post on X.

🚨🚨🚨Trump endorses Netanyahu ahead of the elections in a post on Truth Social:

To the Great People of Israel:

Bibi Netanyahu has been a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combatting the Islamic Republic of Iran, with its 51 year old chant,…

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) October 18, 2026

Trump ties the endorsement to Iran

Trump built his case around the fight with Tehran. He pointed to the Iranian regime’s decades-old chant of “Death to Israel, Death to America” and wrote that “it would have been only a question of time until Iran would have put that ominous phrase into effect,” according to the text published by Israel National News.

The president wrote that Iran has been “systematically destroyed, both Militarily and Financially,” and warned that “unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job,” according to The Times of Israel.

He also made clear what he believes is at stake in the Israeli vote. “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,” Trump wrote, according to The Times of Israel and Ynet.

“Bibi did not wilt”

Trump praised Netanyahu as “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself,” according to The Times of Israel. “Normal men or women in such situations would have wilted under the pressure – But Bibi did not wilt, he actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today,” Trump wrote, according to Israel National News.

The post closed with a direct appeal to Israeli voters: “Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel. BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” according to Israel National News.

Netanyahu responds

Netanyahu thanked Trump for his support shortly after the post went up, according to Ynet and The Times of Israel.

A shift from earlier this week

The endorsement is a turn from Trump’s recent public stance. The Associated Press reported that Trump had withheld an endorsement for months as the vote neared, and described the backing as a coveted boost for Netanyahu because of Trump’s popularity in Israel. The Yeshiva World News reported that in a Thursday interview with Newsmax, Trump declined to endorse Netanyahu, saying he did not trust anybody.

Ynet described the post as Trump’s first public endorsement of Netanyahu in the current Israeli campaign, and called it an explicit intervention in Israel’s election by a sitting U.S. president.

The Yeshiva World News, citing earlier Axios reporting, noted that Trump and Netanyahu have discussed the possibility of renewed military action against Iran in recent weeks. The outlet also cited a Reuters report that Netanyahu said he was not seeking to launch a preemptive strike on Iran before the election.

For Netanyahu, the timing matters. With just over a week until Election Day in Israel, he now heads into the final stretch with the open backing of the American president, who has tied Israel’s next government directly to how the confrontation with Iran ends.

Sources

• Barak Ravid (Axios) on X: https://x.com/BarakRavid/status/2111832076567666790
• The Times of Israel: Trump gives ‘warrior’ Netanyahu ‘complete and total endorsement’ for reelection
• The Times of Israel: After endorsement, Netanyahu thanks Trump for ‘tremendous support’
• Associated Press: Trump endorses embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection
• Israel National News: Trump throws support behind Netanyahu ahead of elections
• Ynet: ‘Anyone other than Bibi is the wrong leader’
• The Yeshiva World News: Trump endorses Netanyahu
• The Jerusalem Post: Donald Trump endorses Benjamin Netanyahu days before Israel’s October 27 vote

Reporting by Daily Beltway.