Trump backs Netanyahu days before Israel's Oct. 27 election
Why it matters: The late endorsement hands Likud outside support in a race with no clear path to power.
President Donald Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel heads into a parliamentary election on Oct. 27, giving the longtime leader a high-profile boost late in a tightly contested campaign. Trump praised Netanyahu as a close partner and urged Israelis to return him to office. Netanyahu thanked Trump and framed the backing as part of their shared agenda. The effect on the vote is uncertain: polls suggest no candidate has a clear route to governing, and Israel's prime minister is chosen through coalition-building in Parliament rather than by direct popular vote. The election is the country's first since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and the wars that followed.