--- title: "The Endorsement That Arrived Like Bill collectors: Trump Backs Bibi, Nine Days Out" description: "After months of curses, snubs and a billboards stripped of his face, Trump finally gave Netanyahu the words he had long sought" author: "Jan Sokol" published: 2026-10-18T07:20:28.300Z modified: 2026-10-18T17:44:17Z url: https://rews.cc/a/the-endorsement-that-arrived-like-bill-collectors-trump-back-9f7db3 language: en tags: ["trump", "netanyahu", "elections", "iran", "politics", "us", "mideast"] publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)" --- # The Endorsement That Arrived Like Bill collectors: Trump Backs Bibi, Nine Days Out *After months of curses, snubs and a billboards stripped of his face, Trump finally gave Netanyahu the words he had long sought* By Jan Sokol · October 18, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/the-endorsement-that-arrived-like-bill-collectors-trump-back-9f7db3 ## In brief - Nine days before Israel’s October 27 election, Trump posted his “Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu” - Trump had held off for months, at times cursing Netanyahu over strikes and the Iran war, sources say - The joint US-Israeli attack on Iran began February 28; the later ceasefire was deeply unpopular in Israel - A July poll found only 7% of Israelis greatly trusted Trump on US-Israel relations; 45% had none - Israeli sources say renewed Iran strikes have been discussed, with preparations pending Trump’s decision For years, Israelis driving their highways in the final weeks of an election passed the same image overhead: Benjamin Netanyahu beside Donald Trump, under the slogan “A different league.” This autumn the billboards of Netanyahu returned for the October 27 vote, but the American president was not on them. Then, nine days before the ballots, the missing face made itself heard — Trump posted that Netanyahu is a “Great Warrior Prime Minister,” declaring the words his “Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu,” as [Tal Shalev and Kevin Liptak reported for CNN](https://cnn.com/2026/10/18/world/trump-netanyahu-elections-relations-intl). Netanyahu answered within the hour, thanking Trump for the “tremendous support and the joint work.” Yet an endorsement that seemed uncertain until the moment it landed cannot paper over what the relationship has become. Kings exchange gifts; they also keep accounts. ## The arithmetic of gifts Trump has starred in Netanyahu’s campaigns since 2013, when, still a businessman and television personality, he released a video urging Israelis to “vote for Benjamin.” In the White House, the gift-giving turned structural: two weeks before Israel’s April 2019 election, Trump signed the proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights with Netanyahu watching in Washington; five weeks before the 2020 vote, he unveiled the “Deal of the Century” peace plan, Netanyahu smiling at his side. ![A blue gift box bearing an Israeli flag is tied with a cream ribbon that curls across a bright red background.](https://rews.cc/img/eed68f687b8e3f2a6d627b33a0680b0d92d92de1.webp) This cycle, there was no red carpet. Their last White House meeting, in August, had no cameras, and they did not meet at all when Netanyahu came to New York for the UN General Assembly in September. “I’m not involved in \[Israeli\] politics anymore,” Trump told Time earlier this month. Asked on Newsmax on Thursday whether he trusts Netanyahu, he answered: “I don’t trust anybody in the world of politics.” Behind the coldness lay grievances, according to people familiar with the conversations: Netanyahu striking inside Lebanon and Gaza against Trump-led peace efforts, apartment buildings blown up in Lebanon that drew presidential fury, warnings about a global economic downturn from the Iran war. Trump cursed the prime minister out in phone calls and told him he was losing American support, these people said. Over the summer, many Trump advisers concluded Netanyahu was trying to prolong the Iran war to bolster his own political standing. One person close to Trump suggested the withheld blessing also reflected Netanyahu’s weakness in the polls; Trump is careful never to bet on losers. ## February 28, and after The joint US-Israeli attack on Iran began on February 28 with the two men projecting harmony. Netanyahu thanked “my friend, President Donald Trump,” calling him “a leader who stands by his word”; Trump described the pair as “war heroes” and publicly demanded that Israel’s president pardon Netanyahu in his ongoing corruption trials. In December, at Mar-a-Lago, Netanyahu had announced Trump would be the first non-Israeli to receive the Israel Prize, and aides hoped he would accept it in person at the April Independence Day ceremony — a campaign launch wrapped in ritual. ![A cream-colored chair with dark blue cushions holds a gold medal on a white ribbon against a bright blue background.](https://rews.cc/img/f30fe4ef35341cf4a0f20bb23dcb200d737c0836.webp) But the war ended, ceasefire talks began, and Trump never showed interest in the ceremony. The ceasefire and the memorandum of understanding that followed were deeply unpopular in Israel, especially on the right; the pro-Netanyahu anchor Yinon Magal called Trump a “loser” after the deal was signed. A July survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute found only 7% of Israelis had “a great deal of trust” that Trump “will do the right thing” on US-Israel relations, while 45% had none. “Trump’s stock in Israel, especially among right wing-voters, has weakened,” a Likud source said. “An endorsement would not necessarily have helped Netanyahu so much, so he did not invest much in it.” Another Likud source was flatter still: “It’s not as if Trump will endorse any other opponent, so it’s nice to have, but not a must.” ## What silence was buying The opposition noticed the cooling too. “A year ago, our camp was calling anyone close to Trump to prevent an endorsement,” one senior opposition figure said before Sunday’s news. “Now it doesn’t really matter, the charm is not there.” Asked about Netanyahu’s leading challenger in the polls, Trump said only, “Well, I don’t know, I don’t hear bad things about him,” before adding, “They’ve written Bibi off many, many times, just like they’ve written me off many, many times. I wouldn’t underestimate Bibi.” ![A yellow thumbs-up balloon is tethered by a white string to a navy ballot box with a cream ballot sticking out, against a teal background.](https://rews.cc/img/8cd19eeabfd57f2f7d33fdc93eda16ee3677420c.webp) Trump has his own reasons for distance. American net favorability of Israel slid from +51 points in July 2018 to -16 in July 2026 — a 67-point collapse across eight years, per multiple polls. As the country soured on the Iran war, a source familiar with the relationship said, Trump has been “trying to shed the image that Netanyahu pulled him into it.” And yet the distance may be theatre. Israeli sources say the two leaders have recently discussed renewed strikes on Iran, and Israeli security sources told CNN preparations are underway, pending Trump’s decision, with timing clouded by the US midterms. In his endorsement post, Trump himself hinted the war the US launched with Israel eight months ago could resume if the Iranians do not “change their ways.” Netanyahu, for his part, rejected any suggestion he seeks escalation before the vote. “It is not convenient for us, it’s no good,” he told Army Radio this week, complaining that if Iranian missiles fell on Israel, his opponents “will blame me.” So the old alliance performs its ritual once more: the billboard empty, the words restored, and underneath both men, the unfinished war waiting for a decision.