‘Complete and total’ endorsement: Trump backs Netanyahu ahead of October 27 polls

US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Oct 18) offered his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel's October 27 parliamentary elections, offering him a “complete and total” endorsement for re-election.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump praised Netanyahu's leadership and described him as a strong partner for the United States.

“Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself,” Trump wrote.

“This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much. 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,” he added.

The election will be Israel's first national vote since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, which triggered a prolonged regional conflict involving Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.

Netanyahu thanks Trump for election backing

Netanyahu thanked Trump for his support, saying the two leaders would continue working together.

“Thank you, President Trump, for your tremendous support and for our work together. Together we will complete the mission!” Netanyahu wrote on X after Trump's endorsement.

Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu referred to the remaining two years of Trump's presidential term while calling for progress on their shared priorities.

“We have another two years left in the term of my friend President Trump, and this is exactly the time to complete our great missions on all fronts,” he said.

Netanyahu also framed the upcoming election as a decisive choice for Israel's future, saying, “These elections are fateful for our future: it's either right - or Palestine.”

Trump cites Iran threat

Trump also referred to Iran's long-standing hostility towards Israel and the United States, citing what he described as its “51-year-old chant” of “Death to Israel, Death to America! We will destroy the Little Satan and the Big Satan.”

He questioned how any country could live under such threats for decades, arguing that words could eventually turn into action.

Trump claimed that Iran had been weakened militarily and financially but warned that the threat remained. He said that unless Tehran changed its course quickly, the United States and its partners would “soon finish the job”.

Trump's endorsement is notable because US presidents do not typically publicly back candidates in foreign elections. However, Trump has previously endorsed political leaders seeking re-election in other countries.