Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of next week's Israeli election, even as President Donald Trump publicly backed the leader's reelection bid.
"I endorse American candidates, and that's where I'm focused on in the midterms," Vance said in an interview on Mark Halperin's 2WAY Tonight published Monday. He clarified his position further: "I'm not anti-endorsing him. I'm not pro-endorsing him. I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections."
Trump took the opposite approach. On Sunday, Trump praised Netanyahu on Truth Social as "a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran." Netanyahu responded by thanking Trump for his "tremendous support and work together."
The divergence marks a notable split between the president and his vice president on foreign endorsements. Vance has weighed in on international elections before. He campaigned in Budapest in April to endorse then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban's reelection bid. Orban was subsequently voted out after 16 years in power. Last year, Vance met Alice Weidel, leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party, at a Munich security conference. Elon Musk was boosting Weidel at the same time.
The Israeli election next week will be the first national election since Hamas attacked Israel in late 2023. Public support for Israel, historically strong among both Republicans and Democrats, has fallen sharply in the United States. Vigorous debate continues about the Netanyahu-led government's response to the Hamas attack.
In June, Vance stated that Israel "has almost no friends left in the world" and should consider the implications of turning away from the ones it has. That comment suggested scepticism about the Netanyahu government's standing, though Vance stopped short of refusing to endorse him outright.