Trump Declines to Commit to Aiding Netanyahu in Elections

U.S. President Donald Trump refrained from explicitly expressing confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu less than two weeks before Israel's October 27th Knesset elections. In a White House interview with Newsmax, Trump stated, "In the political world, I don't trust anyone." He added that while he had a very good relationship and achieved successes with Netanyahu, he would not commit to assisting in the prime minister's election campaign, despite reports that some in Israel desired his involvement. Trump also humorously suggested that if he were running for prime minister of Israel, he would win 99% of the votes.

Separately, Trump addressed reports of potential U.S. strikes in Iran, including the possible use of the GBU-43/B "mother of all bombs." He clarified that the weapon is not nuclear and ruled out any nuclear use against Iran, describing it as a very large, non-nuclear bomb. While noting that Iran's nuclear program is "buried under millions of tons of rock," he hinted at the possibility of further action. Trump revealed that Tehran had requested a halt to attacks and that negotiations were ongoing, but he dismissed the idea of deploying U.S. ground troops.

In the latter part of the interview, Trump sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him difficult to deal with and unwilling to reach a settlement. He expressed frustration with Ukraine's renewed attacks on Russian oil refineries, stating it only raises global oil prices and that there are "plenty of other targets to attack." Trump attributed the war's stalemate to personal animosity between Putin and Zelensky and suggested new elections in Ukraine, claiming citizens are dissatisfied with the ongoing conflict.