President Donald Trump is taking credit for what he described as Benjamin Netanyahu’s stronger-than-expected performance in Israel’s October 27, 2026, Knesset election, arguing that pre-election polling failed to capture the Israeli prime minister’s support. Speaking to reporters on October 28, Trump said, “The poll numbers were wrong. They had exit polls that I'm hearing that [Netanyahu] did very well.” He added, “I think when the endorsement went out, it helped him a lot,” referring to his public endorsement of Netanyahu on October 18, just nine days before Israelis went to the polls. Trump had offered the Likud leader his “complete and total endorsement,” highlighting their partnership and cooperation on Iran. His latest remarks suggest he believes that support helped Netanyahu improve his political position, although the available results do not independently establish how much influence the endorsement had on voters.

The election has nevertheless left Israel facing a difficult government-formation process, with preliminary projections showing Netanyahu’s bloc ahead but short of the majority required to govern independently. As counting continued on October 28, projections varied, with some placing Netanyahu’s bloc at approximately 55 seats, compared with around 50 for the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot, while Arab-led parties were projected to hold a potentially influential share of the 120-member Knesset. A governing majority requires at least 61 seats, meaning neither main camp could claim a clear path to power based on the preliminary figures. Turnout reached 77.7%, the highest level in more than two decades, underscoring the scale of participation in this closely contested election. Netanyahu remains caretaker prime minister while political leaders prepare for coalition negotiations, which could take weeks and may ultimately determine whether he can assemble a government. Despite Trump’s claim that his endorsement helped, the final political outcome will depend on the completed vote count and the negotiations among Israel’s parliamentary parties.