Trump sidesteps questions on endorsing Netanyahu before Oct. 27 Israeli elections

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump won’t say whether he thinks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be reelected when voters head to the polls later this month.

The president, who sat down with Time magazine for a 75-minute interview published Thursday, sidestepped multiple questions about Netanyahu’s reelection bid. Israelis are set to vote Oct. 27, in the first national elections since the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

The absence of an endorsement is a setback for the Likud party politician, who has billed his tight ties to Trump as a selling point for keeping him in power.

“I can only say that I’m not involved in politics anymore,” responded Trump, when asked if Israelis should give Netanyahu another term.

The U.S. president is in fact ramping up his campaigning for Republicans in the November midterms, and has made a public flex of his political influence abroad on a scale that few if any U.S. presidents have exerted.

He has endorsed candidates like Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in his unsuccessful bid for a fifth term, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Polish President Karol Nawrocki, as well as several Latin American leaders.

Trump’s tepid comments sharply contrast with his more fulsome displays of support for Netanyahu in the past. In a 2019 campaign, Netanyahu purchased massive billboards picturing him with Trump and the message “Netanyahu. In Another League.” Trump, in turn, highlighted the campaign ad in his own social media feeds.

Trump says Israeli leader is resilient

In the Time interview, Trump, however, didn’t miss an opportunity to highlight his own record on Israel as the reporters made several attempts to get him to talk about Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, and his reelection battle.

Trump did note that Netanyahu has shown resilience over the course of his political career.

The Israeli leader is in the midst of a yearslong corruption trial, faced massive protests in 2023 after introducing a plan to restructure Israel’s judiciary and his image has been tarnished by his government’s intelligence and security lapses ahead of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.

Last November, Trump sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu on the corruption charges and praised the prime minister as “a formidable and decisive War Time Prime Minister.”

“Well, people have written off Bibi many, many times, just like they’ve written off me many, many times,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.”

On Netanyahu’s most serious opponent, centrist Gadi Eisenkot, Trump said, “I don’t hear bad things about him.”

In June, before Eisenkot announced he was running, Trump said he would “most likely” endorse Netanyahu but that he would have to see who he was running against him first.

The US-Israeli relationship has become strained

Trump remains a popular figure in Israel.

During his first term, he lent unprecedented support to Israel’s claims to territory seized in war, including by moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.

The robust support continued in his second term, as he backed Israel’s actions in Gaza and joined it in bombing Iran. Netanyahu has been a frequent guest at the White House and frequently speaks to Trump on the phone.

The alliance has been particularly beneficial to Netanyahu, who has sought to tie himself to Trump to improve his image at home.

But there has been strain between the two leaders over the course of the seven-month Iran war.

Trump was critical of Israel’s decision to attack a critical Iranian gas field in the first weeks of the conflict. Trump in June called Netanyahu “crazy” and said that he was “a little bit perturbed” as Israel’s fighting with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon was holding back peace talks with Iran.

Netanyahu makes a risky move

In August, Netanyahu rejected Trump’s latest plan to advance the stalled ceasefire in Gaza, pushing back on the U.S. administration’s call for Israel to withdraw from territory it controls in Gaza until Hamas has been disarmed.

With the move, Netanyahu rolled the dice on potentially angering Trump, who he has repeatedly said is the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.

Going along with Trump’s plan could arguably be more perilous for Netanyahu’s reelection chances as the country remains deeply traumatized by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that happened on his watch. Netanyahu’s nationalistic base opposes concessions to the Palestinians.

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Madhani reported from Jerusalem.