Trump backs Netanyahu ahead of Israel's October 27 election; his picks won in three of four earlier polls

US President Donald Trump has begun openly entering the elections of other countries. He has backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Truth Social. Israel holds a parliamentary election on October 27, and Trump has appealed to voters to stand behind Netanyahu ahead of it.

Trump is making liberal use of social media, political statements and economic threats to help his preferred leaders and conservative parties win. He had earlier intervened in the elections of four major countries in the same way. His candidates won in three of them, while in one he had to accept defeat. This has caused a major stir in global politics and diplomacy. To understand how much effect such interventions have, one has to look at the earlier results.

The first country was Honduras. In the presidential election in November 2025, Trump directly backed the conservative candidate Nasry Asfura. He also gave an open warning that if Asfura lost, the US would stop all financial aid to Honduras. He also sharply criticised the rival candidate, Salvador Nasralla. In the final result announced on December 24, 2025, Asfura got 40.27% of the vote and Nasralla 39.53%. Trump's candidate did win, but the margin was very thin.

The second country was Japan. Before the general election in February 2026, Trump announced full support for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her ruling coalition. He called Takaichi a strong and popular leader and said the election was extremely decisive for Japan's security and future. In the voting on February 8, 2026, Takaichi's coalition won a historic and overwhelming majority.

The third country was Hungary, where Trump's strategy suffered a blow. In the April 2026 election he had backed the right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Vice President J.D. Vance travelled to Budapest and made public speeches in Orban's favour. Even so, Hungarian voters voted on local issues, economic slowdown, corruption and the country's international isolation. The Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, won a clear majority and Orban lost power. The result showed that a foreign leader's backing can fall short against local discontent.

The fourth country was Colombia. In the presidential election in June 2026, Trump backed Abelardo de la Espriella and said the result was important for the future of Colombia-US relations. In the preliminary count, de la Espriella won with 49.66% of the vote. Colombia's outgoing President Gustavo Petro criticised the intervention in very harsh words. Petro alleged that one country interfering in another's election in this way amounted to a direct attack on democracy and freedom.

All eyes are now on what effect Trump's backing of Netanyahu will have on Israel's election.