Trump takes credit for Netanyahu election performance after endorsing Israeli prime minister

President Donald Trump is claiming his endorsement rescued Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid for another term in Tuesday's Knesset election, the first national vote in Israel since the October 7 attacks. No clear winner has emerged. Exit polls indicate that neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the one led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli army chief who heads the Yashar party and wants Netanyahu removed, will reach a Knesset majority, according to The Independent.

On Truth Social, Trump posted words he appeared to attribute to a man named Irving C. Schwartz, saying the endorsement reversed the campaign's direction and turned a probable defeat into a stalemate or even a win. Speaking after a Texas rally, Trump said he had heard Netanyahu did very well and was probably winning or tied, adding that the endorsement "helped him a lot."

The two leaders have been closely aligned during Trump's second term, and the United States and Israel have both carried out strikes on Iran. Reuters reviewed a televised message Netanyahu aired on Sunday in which he highlighted Trump's backing, saying the president had urged Israelis to vote for him and that such a friendly American leader might never come again.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →