U.S. Vice President JD Vance declined on Monday to endorse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October 27 election. His refusal came a day after President Donald Trump gave the Israeli leader his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Asked in an interview with journalist Mark Halperin whether he backed Netanyahu’s reelection, Vance first deferred to his boss. “The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history,” he said.
He then made clear he would not add his own. “I’m not anti-endorsing him, but I’m not pro-endorsing him, I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance said. He added that he endorses American candidates and is focused on next month’s U.S. midterm elections.
Trump’s endorsement, posted on Truth Social on Sunday, praised Netanyahu as “a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran.” He tied the endorsement to the confrontation with Tehran: “If Israel has the wrong Leader, which would be anyone other than Bibi, America will have to do this work ourselves, and I am not inclined to do so.”
Netanyahu thanked Trump on X, writing, “Together we will complete the mission!”
Vance’s hands-off stance stands out against his own record. In April, he campaigned in Hungary for then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost his reelection bid.
The endorsement exchange comes as polls suggest Netanyahu’s governing coalition could fall short of a parliamentary majority, and as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit to Israel on Monday to meet with Netanyahu.
In the same interview, Vance said he has not decided whether to run for president in 2028, but that if he does, he believes Trump will endorse him.
