Trump refuses to endorse Netanyahu ahead of Israel election — SkimNews
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- Trump declined to say whether Israelis should re-elect Netanyahu in the October 27 vote, telling Time magazine "I'm not involved in politics anymore" — despite actively campaigning for Republicans and endorsing foreign leaders including Viktor Orban, Sanae Takaichi, and Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
- Trump praised Netanyahu obliquely with "I wouldn't underestimate Bibi" and said of centrist rival Gadi Eisenkot, "I don't hear bad things about him," a sharp contrast with his 2019 social media promotion of Netanyahu's "In Another League" campaign billboards.
- The October 27 vote is Israel's first national election since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, with Netanyahu simultaneously fighting a long-running corruption trial, 2023 mass protests over judicial restructuring, and criticism over pre-attack intelligence failures.
- Last November, Trump wrote to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu in the corruption case, describing him as "a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister."
- Netanyahu rejected Trump's latest Gaza ceasefire proposal in August, pushing back against the US call to withdraw from territory before Hamas is disarmed — risking the wrath of the man he has called "the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House."
- Strains surfaced during the seven-month war with Iran: Trump criticized Israel's strike on a key Iranian gas field, and in June called Netanyahu "crazy" and said he was "a little bit perturbed" that Hezbollah fighting was slowing Iran peace talks.
Why it matters: For Netanyahu, losing Trump's open cheerleading in Israel's first election since the Hamas attack strips a proven campaign asset at a vulnerable moment — and the timing, coming after Netanyahu rejected Trump's August Gaza ceasefire plan and drew Trump's "crazy" comment in June, signals that even the Israeli leader's closest American ally is keeping his distance.
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