Vance Refuses to Endorse Netanyahu: Trump’s Public Support Intersects With U.S. Midterm Elections

Israel is scheduled to vote on Oct. 27, 2026, yet public statements from senior U.S. officials have not been consistent. According to Al Jazeera, in an interview with reporter Mark Halperin, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance refused to endorse Netanyahu: “I’m not opposed to endorsing him, and I’m not endorsing him either. I won’t get involved in Israel’s election.” He added: “I endorse American candidates, and my focus is the U.S. midterms.” Just the previous day, President Trump had explicitly said he supported Netanyahu.

This does not represent a public pivot against Israel. Vance still maintains that the United States should continue supporting Israel, though some Jewish Republicans remain skeptical of his commitment to the U.S.-Israel alliance. According to Al Jazeera, when Israel opposed an Iran ceasefire plan in June, Vance warned: “You can’t solve every national security problem with killing alone.” He also urged Netanyahu’s cabinet not to alienate Trump, describing the president as the “only powerful ally” Israel had left.

Trump chose public support, while Vance declined to get involved. Vance also has a record of backing foreign leaders: According to Al Jazeera, in April 2026, he supported former right-wing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, who lost the election by a landslide to Péter Magyar. This provides a political-risk backdrop for Vance’s choice this time, but it cannot be assumed from this that the two are directly and causally linked.

The burdens at the policy level are heavier. Al Jazeera said that after the Trump administration returned to office in January 2025, it continued selling weapons to Israel; the United States and Israel became involved in the conflict with Iran, and Washington also increased pressure on the International Criminal Court. The coexistence of arms sales, U.S. and Israeli participation in the war, and political pressure on a judicial institution highlights the tension between security commitments and judicial accountability.

The conflict’s costs have also flowed back into the United States. Al Jazeera said the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran pushed up costs for American consumers, but did not provide data sufficient to quantify increases in prices or household spending. The report therefore connected support for allies with the midterm elections: once an overseas conflict affects voters through consumer prices, continued support for allies can no longer be separated from the ballot.

How many votes Trump’s endorsement could bring remains unsettled. Al Jazeera said some polls showed the Yashar party ahead of Likud; Yashar leader and former Israeli military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot said he would seek to form an opposition coalition to form a government. The report did not specify Trump’s exact wording in endorsing Netanyahu, nor did it describe the samples, methods or margins of error of the relevant polls, so it is not possible to conclude that the president’s endorsement would be enough to change the outcome.

By the time voting takes place on Oct. 27, whether Likud can hold onto power, whether Yashar can unite opposition forces, and whether Trump’s endorsement can offset Likud’s trailing position in some polls will all remain to be seen. Vance’s decision draws a clear line: he did not add his endorsement to Netanyahu’s specific campaign, nor did he withdraw the position that the United States should continue supporting Israel; Trump, meanwhile, has already taken Netanyahu’s side.