Asked whether he is afraid of what happens after Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answered with a question of his own: "Are you not afraid?" When the interviewer pressed him on whether it would be any different with JD Vance, he said he could tell them with certainty that there has never been a president this friendly to Israel. He added that he doubts there will ever be another like Trump. His conclusion was that Israel must prepare for a "rainy day," and he said he is already doing exactly that.

The remarks land at a charged moment. Israel votes on October 27, and Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday. A day later, Vance declined to do the same, saying he is focused on American midterm races rather than Israeli politics. The comments also line up with a warning attributed to Netanyahu on October 18 about a potentially less friendly U.S. administration after Trump, and with the idea of making the most of the current window of strong support. The big question now is what a "rainy day" plan looks like in practice, and how far Israel's push for wider regional alliances can go in softening a future shift in Washington.