President Trump endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu on October 18, 2026, ahead of Israel's October 27 election, calling him strong, brave and brilliant. Netanyahu thanked Trump and, in a video, told Israelis to listen carefully to the US president. Reporting adds that some of Trump's closest advisers, per Barak Ravid, believe his Middle East agenda would fare better if Netanyahu lost. It also emerged that Trump forced Netanyahu to apologize from a pre-written text to Qatar's prime minister by phone from the Oval Office. The race is framed as a referendum on Netanyahu, with the October 7 security failures and a blocked independent investigation as key issues.