US President Donald Trump on Sunday issued a second public endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Tuesday’s election, urging Israelis to vote for the leader as his coalition faces the prospect of falling short of a parliamentary majority.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump praised Netanyahu as an “outstanding Warrior Prime Minister” and called on voters to help him remain in office. “Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for Prime Minister, we have to finish the job that we started!” Trump wrote.
The endorsement comes amid reports that Netanyahu has sought additional public backing from Trump in the days leading up to the vote, as opinion polls suggest his political bloc could struggle to secure enough seats to form a government.
According to Axios, a US source familiar with the matter and an Israeli source briefed on the discussions said Netanyahu had asked Trump to step up his support. The US source described the Israeli leader’s reported lobbying as a “sign of desperation”.
In his post, Trump highlighted the two leaders’ relationship and pointed to military operations against Iran as evidence of their cooperation. “As everyone is aware, including the enemy, Bibi and I have had a great relationship in winning together,” he wrote.
Trump referred to Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury, claiming that Iran had lost its navy and air force and that its military and economy were “in shambles”.
He also claimed Iran’s inflation had reached 301% and said a naval blockade had prevented the country from obtaining oil.
Trump further invoked the threats directed at the US and Israel by their adversaries, writing that there could “no longer be the chant heard around the World of ‘Death to America, Death to Israel,’ and there won’t be”.
The post follows Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu last Sunday. In that statement, the US president suggested that Netanyahu’s defeat could have consequences for relations between Washington and Jerusalem.
Trump has not worked with an Israeli prime minister other than Netanyahu, and the two leaders have developed a close, though at times turbulent, relationship.
Netanyahu’s Coalition Trails in Polls
The latest pre-election polls published by three major Israeli television networks on Friday indicated that Netanyahu’s coalition could fall well short of a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
All three polls projected 50 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, 17 fewer than the number held by his current coalition. His Likud party was projected to win 20 seats, down from its current 32.
The polls put the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot at between 52 and 56 seats. Two Arab Israeli parties were projected to win a combined 14 to 16 seats, while Channel 11 also forecast four seats for a reservists’ party unaffiliated with either bloc.
Channel 14 offered a more favourable projection earlier in the week, putting his bloc at 60 seats and Likud at 30.
The projections suggest Netanyahu could face a difficult path to forming a government, although the final outcome will depend on the election results and subsequent coalition negotiations.
