Trump Questions Benjamin Netanyahu’s Re-election as Likud Confirms Knesset Run

U.S. President Donald Trump publicly questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future during a period of war, telling ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, “Does he want to continue? Because, you know, he’s a wartime prime minister.”

Haaretz said Trump’s remark about whether “Bibi even wants to continue” pushed the issue into Netanyahu’s re-election campaign, while The Times of Israel reported that Likud confirmed Netanyahu would run in the upcoming Knesset elections.

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The Times of Israel also tied the political moment to the war context, noting that Israel’s wars began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, triggering regional conflict that has grown to include a joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

JTA reported that Netanyahu’s Likud party rejected speculation that he might not run, after Karl tweeted that Trump was unsure if Netanyahu wanted to press forward in the elections.

In the same reporting stream, JTA said polling suggested Netanyahu would struggle to secure enough votes to put together a governing coalition after elections this fall, as the question of leadership and the war’s trajectory remained intertwined.

The Times of Israel said a poll showed more than 60% of Israelis did not want the long-serving prime minister to run in the upcoming Knesset elections, and it described Trump’s question as leaving the issue “open.”

JTA reported that 61% of Israelis, including 27% of Likud members, do not want to see Netanyahu run again this fall, and it said the same proportion want Israel to adopt a two-term limit for prime ministers in the future.

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Likud’s response, as quoted by The Times of Israel, was that “Prime Minister Netanyahu will run in the next elections—and, with God's help, he will win them,” after Trump’s comments appeared to question Netanyahu’s bid for reelection.

JTA framed the political uncertainty around the war’s regional expansion, saying Israel’s current wars began on Oct. 7, 2023, and that the conflict has grown to include a joint U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

The Times of Israel added that the election date must take place no later than October 27, even as it said the date had not yet been officially set and Netanyahu’s campaign had already begun.

Beyond the immediate political dispute, Drop Site News linked the broader regional conflict to U.S.-Iran escalation, saying the U.S. military launched strikes against Iran overnight framing the operation as “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression” and an act of “self-defense.”

Drop Site News also said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it struck 21 targets at U.S. air and naval bases across the region, including Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, and it warned that “the consequences of any renewed aggression lie with the American enemy.”

The Times of Israel reported that Trump told Israel’s Channel 12 that he warned Netanyahu, “You’d better be careful what you do, because you could be left alone against Iran very soon,” and it said a conversation ended without a clear agreement.

In parallel, The Times of Israel said Netanyahu released a pre-recorded press statement on Monday evening confirming that he and Trump were in contact, with Netanyahu saying, “Together, we will bring safety to the North,” as the war’s next moves remained a live political issue.

JTA described how Netanyahu’s leadership and the war’s regional dynamics were being contested in the run-up to elections, with the party insisting he would run while polling showed majorities of Israelis and Likud members opposing him.