Following a series of midterm election primaries in which the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians played an outsized role, President Donald Trump made some eyebrow-raising comments on Wednesday morning, when it seemed to imply that he could be elected Israel’s next leader.
Per The Daily Beast, the comments came as Trump was addressing reporters at Joint Base Andrews, and noted that he’s exceedingly popular in Israel.
“I’m right now at 99 percent in Israel,” Trump told the reporters. “I could run for Prime Minister, so maybe after I do this, I’ll go to Israel, run for Prime Minister. I had a poll this morning. I’m 99 percent, so that’s good.”
NEW: President Trump jokes that he could run for Prime Minister of Israel after his current term since he’s so well-liked there.
“Maybe after I do this I’ll go to Israel and run for prime minister. I had a poll this morning, I’m 99%.” pic.twitter.com/eN2PIVnOVE
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 20, 2026
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It’s not clear which poll Trump was referring to, as there don’t appear to be any English-language media reports of an Israeli poll on Trump’s approval. At any rate, Trump does not hold Israeli citizenship and is therefore not eligible to run for office in that country.
“In order to become Prime Minister of Israel, you have to be a member of the Knesset, the country’s parliament. In order to be elected to the Knesset, you have to be an Israeli national,” the Daily Beast said. “The Israeli Citizenship Law of 1952 and the Law of Return grant Jewish people the right, without restriction, to move to and settle in Israel.” Trump, however, is not Jewish, so that law would not apply to him.
Perhaps more alarmingly, Trump asserted his control over Israel’s current leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“He’s a very good man,” Trump said of the Israeli leader, who has been Israel’s prime minister for the entirety of Trump’s two terms, although he was temporarily out of office for a year during the Biden presidency. “He’ll do whatever I want him to do. He’s a great guy. To me, he’s a great guy.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s approval ratings in his own country are far below 99 percent.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
