Vance Refuses Netanyahu Endorsement, Breaks With Trump
The Vance Netanyahu endorsement question produced a split-screen moment for the Trump administration on Monday, as Vice President JD Vance refused to back Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election bid a day after President Donald Trump threw his full support behind the Israeli prime minister.
In an interview with journalist Mark Halperin aboard Air Force Two, Vance praised Trump’s political clout but said his own focus is elsewhere. “The president has the most influential endorsement in American or international political history,” Vance said. “I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on is the midterm. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections.”
When pressed, Vance stressed he was taking no position at all on the Israeli race. “I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” he said.
Trump’s Weekend Endorsement
Trump gave Netanyahu his full-throated backing on Saturday in a lengthy Truth Social post, calling him a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and praising him as a partner for peace in confronting Iran. The endorsement marked a reversal: Trump had told Time magazine earlier this month that he was no longer involved in Israeli politics.
The Israeli election is set for October 27, the first national vote since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. It is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s handling of the war and its aftermath.
Vance’s History of Foreign Endorsements
Vance’s refusal was notable because he has waded into foreign politics before. Last spring he traveled to Hungary to publicly endorse then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s re-election bid days before the vote, which Orban lost.
Vance has also taken a different tone than Trump on the US relationship with Israel. He has accused elements of the Israeli government of trying to shape American public opinion about the war with Iran and undermining negotiations to end the conflict, and he has described Israel as an ally no more important than other US allies — positions that have drawn criticism from some Republicans.
The interview took place while Vance traveled Monday to campaign for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley of North Carolina. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced trip to Israel, meeting Monday evening with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to reports.
Source: NBC News