During a visit to Tel Aviv in May, Donald Trump drew attention by suggesting he could pursue the Israeli prime ministership, a comment he linked to his assertion of holding 99 percent approval ratings in the country — a figure that, if verified, would place his hypothetical electoral standing there above that of any other nation. Available polling data contains no record of that figure appearing in any survey result.
Where the remark found traction, polling conducted during the campaign period — with the vote scheduled for 27 October, roughly two weeks out — shows Trump holding a higher approval rating among voters than any other figure tracked. His name does not appear among those listed on the ballot.
Netanyahu's decade-long cultivation of ties to Trump now appears to rest on ground that has grown less stable. On 13 October 2025, a Gaza agreement negotiated by Trump's team brought the final group of 20 living hostages back to their families, and Trump delivered an address to the Knesset on that same date. A broadcast on Israeli television placed his address alongside video of the family reunions, and a notable portion of the audience drew a connection between the two images.
In describing Trump as the finest ally the country had ever known, Netanyahu also set aside established convention by putting forward the name of a sitting foreign leader for the Israel Prize — an accolade that has historically been reserved for the nation's own citizens.
By 2026, a coordinated military operation targeting Iran had begun in February, a ceasefire followed two months later, and a disarmament agreement involving Hamas was put forward by Trump that July.
Survey data from the period offers figures that hold together, though they stop short of being conclusive. A Pew survey conducted around mid-2025 put the share of Israelis expressing confidence in Trump at 69 percent. A poll conducted by the Jewish People Policy Institute in February 2026 placed 73 percent of respondents in the camp of those who viewed him as performing at a level above the typical U.S. president. A Tel Aviv University study found that Jewish Israelis — those on the political right in particular — showed greater willingness to engage in Palestinian peace negotiations when the initiative was attributed to Trump.
During the 2019 election period, Likud put up large-format billboards along the Ayalon highway featuring a handshake image of Netanyahu and Trump beneath the phrase "In another league," a post that Trump subsequently shared on his own platform. No endorsement from Trump has been put forward on this occasion.
Speaking with reporters during the same month, Trump indicated a likely preference for Netanyahu while leaving open the possibility that his ultimate decision would depend on the identity of the opposing candidate. Following Eisenkot's entry into the race, Trump issued a statement indicating he had not come across any negative information about him. When a TIME interview put the endorsement question to him, he left it unanswered on three separate occasions. Boarding Marine One on one occasion, he indicated that an endorsement was possible, though no name was attached to the statement.
A link shared via Truth Social in September directed readers to a Newsmax report centred on a single poll showing Netanyahu's bloc holding a lead. Outlets in the Israeli media have reported that associates linked to both Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett approached contacts within Trump's circle, requesting that it refrain from taking sides.
Five surveys conducted during the prior month placed Eisenkot's Yashar party at a projected average of 22.2 parliamentary seats, with Likud trailing by roughly one seat at 21.2. On average, the parties aligned with Netanyahu posted 54.4, while those grouped under the Zionist opposition recorded 51. Both figures fall short of the 61-seat threshold.
During those summer months, Trump applied pressure on Israel to scale back its military activity in Lebanon and withdraw from portions of Syrian territory, even as American diplomats were engaged in negotiations with Iran. During one exchange, Trump stated that he had used derogatory language toward Netanyahu in the course of that conversation. Axios cited private conversations in which Trump reportedly described Netanyahu as his own worst adversary.
An Israel Democracy Institute survey recorded a drop — from 44 percent in May down to 28 percent in June — in the proportion of Israelis who felt Trump placed their country's security among his priorities. Confidence in his commitment to Israel's security, measured among Jewish survey participants, fell by 38 percentage points over the three months running from March through June. Roughly one in three respondents viewed Israel's standing in the region as having strengthened in the wake of hostilities with Iran.
Trump's approval ratings among voters have held at broadly consistent levels. Disagreement with his policy choices does not necessarily diminish the personal respect many in the country hold for him, according to the polling data.
A businessman placed on Likud's electoral list drew attention after past remarks describing Trump as "morally corrupt" came to the fore, prompting him to issue an apology within hours in which he characterised Trump as the most supportive occupant of the White House toward Israel. Netanyahu's relationship with Trump forms the foundation of his appeal to voters, while Eisenkot has built his platform around the prospect of working alongside Trump rather than standing in opposition to him. Candidates across the field hold competing views on who is best positioned to manage that relationship.
Reports indicate that U.S. pressure played a part in bringing Netanyahu toward a Gaza arrangement that Israeli coalition partners would have been unlikely to put forward on their own. A letter addressed to President Herzog also sought a pardon for Netanyahu in the ongoing criminal proceedings — a move that, had it originated from virtually any other head of state abroad, would have drawn considerable debate.
Voters in Israel are set to head to the polls on 27 October to elect a new prime minister. Questions about which official in Washington might reach out first are likely to draw attention as well.
