Trump renews Netanyahu endorsement amid reports PM sought more support

Donald Trump urged Israelis on Sunday to vote for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tuesday’s parliamentary election, renewing an endorsement he first gave on 18 October. In his latest appeal, Trump wrote: “Vote for Bibi Netanyahu for prime minister, we have to finish the job that we started!”

The renewed backing came amid reports that Netanyahu had sought more public support from the US president. Axios reported that the two leaders had spoken twice in the preceding three days. Citing an American source with knowledge of the matter, it said Netanyahu suggested wording for further endorsements. An Israeli source briefed on the efforts said he also proposed that Trump speak to Israeli journalists.

The Jerusalem Post separately reported, citing two American sources, that Netanyahu and supporters within Trump’s circle had pressed for further statements of support. It attributed the details of the reported calls to Axios. Likud spokesperson Neta Molcho denied to Axios that Netanyahu had asked Trump to support his campaign either in recent days or before Trump’s first endorsement. The White House did not respond to Axios’s request for comment.

The stakes are high for Netanyahu’s coalition. According to Axios, final polls from three major Israeli television networks projected it would win 50 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, short of the 61 needed for a majority. An earlier Channel 14 poll projected 60. Trump’s second appeal establishes that more public backing followed the reported requests, but not that those requests prompted it.