U.S. Vice President JD Vance praised the reach of President Donald Trump’s endorsements but declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying his attention was on U.S. midterm candidates.
Vance made the remarks in an Oct. 19 interview with journalist Mark Halperin for 2WAY Tonight. He was traveling to campaign for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley in North Carolina, the Associated Press reported. CNN aired a clip of the interview the next day.
“I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on the midterms,” Vance said. “So, I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections.” He had previously said his decision to stay out of the contest was neither an endorsement of Netanyahu nor opposition to him, as EconoTimes reported.
Trump endorsed Netanyahu for re-election in a Truth Social post on Oct. 18, calling him “a Great Warrior Prime Minister” and describing the post as his “Complete and Total Endorsement.” Netanyahu thanked Trump in a post on X. Hindustan Times’ English rendering of the Hebrew post said Netanyahu looked forward to completing the mission with Trump.
A Channel 12 survey conducted Oct. 19 found 64% of respondents said Trump’s endorsement would not affect their vote. Twelve percent said it strengthened their support for Likud, while 17% said it made them less likely to vote for the party. Channel 12 surveyed 507 adults and reported a maximum sampling error of 4.4 percentage points. The findings were previously covered by EconoTimes.
Israel’s Ministry of Interior lists Oct. 27 as election day for the 26th Knesset, and the Central Elections Committee timetable schedules publication of results for Nov. 4. The U.S. midterm elections are set for Nov. 3. The Associated Press described Israel’s vote as the country’s first national election since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
