(FILES) US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu depart at the conclusion of a joint press conference in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC on September 29, 2025. Trump on October 18, 2026, endorsed his ally Benjamin Netanyahu before Israel's close-fought parliamentary election on October 27 when the veteran prime minister will try to win a new mandate. "Bibi Netanyahu has been Strong, Brave, and Brilliant in the face of tremendous opposition, including that coming from even Israel, itself," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, using a common nickname for the Israeli leader. "This is the kind of Partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel, a Country for which it has done so much. Please let this Letter serve to represent my Complete and Total Endorsement of Bibi Netanyahu in his upcoming Race for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Israel." (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)