Trump hails his backing as Netanyahu gains ground, but majority still out of reach
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President Donald Trump claimed his endorsement helped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outperform expectations in the ongoing parliamentary vote, even as preliminary counts still leave his bloc short of a majority.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his endorsement contributed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stronger-than-expected showing in Israel's parliamentary elections, casting the outcome as proof that his political intervention mattered. Trump made the remarks while returning from a campaign rally in Texas, saying the endorsement "helped him a lot" and that "he's probably winning or tied."
Preliminary official counts released by the Central Elections Committee showed Netanyahu's Likud party projected to win 28 seats, with his right-wing and religious bloc reaching 57 seats out of the 120-member Knesset. The rival bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot was projected at 47 seats, leaving Netanyahu's coalition four seats short of the 61 needed for a majority.
Trump acknowledged that the results were still early and subject to change, but said top observers in Israel were pointing to the unexpectedly strong performance. He also posted on his social-media platform a statement attributed to Irving C. Schwartz that credited the endorsement with reversing Netanyahu's electoral fortunes.
The vote count remains ongoing, and both political camps now face the familiar churn of coalition bargaining as they try to assemble a government from a fragmented parliament.