JD Vance breaks with Trump over Netanyahu endorsement

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Oct 20, 2026

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Vice President JD Vance has broken with President Donald Trump over the commander in chief’s unusual endorsement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection.

Vance said he’s staying out of the Oct. 27 elections in Israel because he’s laser-focused stateside on boosting Republicans in the forthcoming congressional elections, but did not explain why his boss has taken a different stance.

“I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on the midterms,” Vance told journalist Mark Halperin. “So, I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections.”

“I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him,” Vance added.

Trump, like Vance, has been barnstorming the nation holding rallies in red states as he seeks to fend off a Democratic push to retake the House and Senate.

Even with the high-stakes domestic campaign raging, Trump, who is popular in Israel, found the time and political bandwidth to issue a lengthy impassioned endorsement of Netanyahu.

“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 social media site Sunday. “He actually got stronger, and maintains that same Strength today.”

Vance has had few qualms about getting involved in foreign nations’ electoral politics in the past. The veep jetted to Hungary to headline an election eve rally for strongman Viktor Orban, who lost parliamentary elections last spring by a wide margin to a reformist opponent. He was not asked by Halperin to explain any possible distinction between the two decisions.

Before Trump, American administrations typically steered clear of taking sides in foreign elections.

Vance’s refusal to follow Trump’s lead on Netanyahu could complicate Republican efforts to make a bigger play for the support of Jewish voters, who have typically voted Democratic for decades.

GOP candidates have portrayed Democrats as being too critical of Israel. They also say the GOP fights more strongly against antisemitism, a claim Democrats fiercely deny.

But Vance has long been considered a leading voice in the faction of the Republican Party that is strongly opposed to foreign entanglements, especially in the Middle East.

That stance has led to his occasionally expressing skepticism of the value of working in lockstep with Israel. Reports say Vance questioned Israel’s role in pushing Trump to agree to join the war against Iran, which has turned into an unpopular quagmire for the U.S.

Vance has also remained close to right-wing voices like Tucker Carlson, the pundit who frequently criticizes Israel and has hosted white nationalists accused of antisemitism on his popular show.

Last summer, Vance accused Netanyahu’s allies of seeking to scuttle Trump’s efforts to resolve the war with Iran and even accused them of seeking to use their influence in American politics to “keep the war going on indefinitely.”

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