Vice President JD Vance declined Monday to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, a day after President Donald Trump backed him.
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“I’m not anti-endorsing him, I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” he said in an interview with “2WAY Tonight.” “I endorse American candidates and that’s where I’m focused on, is the midterms,” he said.
In April, Vance traveled to Hungary to support then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who went on to fail to be reelected after 16 years in power.
Trump has backed Netanyahu ahead of next week’s elections, calling him “a Great Warrior.”
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Netanyahu in Israel on Monday, a spokesman for the prime minister’s office, Doron Spielman, told The Washington Post, adding that part of the discussion focused on Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu. The Pentagon declined to comment.
Vance has maintained that he views Israel as an ally, but has faced backlash from some Jewish commentators over his criticism of Israeli officials and his association with podcast host Tucker Carlson, who has been fiercely at odds with the U.S.-Israel lobby.
In August, he attended the Republican Jewish Coalition summit in a bid to win over Jewish Republicans.
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