Vance 'not getting involved in the Israeli elections' after Trump endorses Netanyahu

(Oct. 20, 2026 / JNS)

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that he would be staying out of foreign elections when asked whether he would endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The question came a day after President Donald Trump gave Netanyahu his “complete and total endorsement” ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 Knesset elections.

Vance told Mark Halperin’s podcast, “2WAY Tonight,” that Trump has “the most effective endorsement in American or international political history.”

In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump praised Netanyahu’s leadership against Iran. “This is the kind of partner that the United States of America is demanding of Israel,” Trump wrote, calling Netanyahu “strong, brave, and brilliant.”

Vance said he only endorses “American candidates.” He added, “that’s what I’m focused on” as the U.S. midterm elections approach.

Asked directly whether he backed Netanyahu, Vance said, “I’m not anti-endorsing him; I’m not pro-endorsing him.”

In April, Vance made a two-day campaign visit to Hungary to back the reelection bid of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Five days later, Orbán was voted out of office in a landslide victory for the opposition Tisza party.

At an Orbán rally during the visit, Vance told voters he was “not telling you exactly who to vote for,” before urging them to “stand with Viktor Orbán, because he stands for you.”