JD Vance refrains from endorsing Israeli leader Netanyahu as Trump offers praise

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a midterm campaign rally at the LevelUp Training Complex on Oct. 15, 2026 in Monroe, Michigan.Pool | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesU.S. Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after President Donald Trump offered his backing for the leader's reelection bid next week. "The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history," Vance said in an interview on Mark Halperin's 2WAY Tonight published Monday. "I endorse American candidates, and that's where I'm focused on in the midterms," he said. Vance said he was not criticizing Netanyahu: "I'm not anti-endorsing him. I'm not pro-endorsing him," he said, adding that "I'm not getting involved in Israeli elections." Those remarks diverge from the approach by President Donald Trump, who gave the Israeli prime minister his backing in the election next week. Trump on Sunday praised Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, on Truth Social as "a Great Warrior Prime Minister, and an even greater Partner for Peace in combating the Islamic Republic of Iran." In a social media post, Netanyahu thanked Tr...