Trump says Eisenkot and Netanyahu hold very similar policy views

US President Donald Trump has spoken publicly about Gadi Eisenkot for the first time since Eisenkot was given the mandate to try to form Israel's next government. He told reporters that, on outlook and policy, Eisenkot and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are very much alike, according to the foreign desk of the Israeli broadcaster N12, which circulated video of the remarks.

Trump also said he assumed Eisenkot had spoken warmly about him, adding that Eisenkot had said he loves him. He described the situation as a competition between Eisenkot and Netanyahu, whom he called by his nickname, Bibi, and said that it remained to be seen how it would turn out. Haaretz reported that these were Trump's first comments about Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, since Israel's election, and that Trump said the two men share similar views on policy.

What Trump said, and how outlets framed it

The fullest version of the remarks comes from N12, which published an edited alert in Hebrew. In it, Trump says that in terms of worldview and policy, Eisenkot and Netanyahu are "very similar". He then says there is a contest between the two and that "we'll see" what happens. An earlier N12 alert carried a shorter version of the same quote.

The Jerusalem Post headlined its report with Trump's description of the pair as having very similar views and said the president suggested that both men would support him. That reading is the Post's characterisation; the quoted remarks available in the material do not include Trump saying so in those terms. Ynet, the news site of the Yedioth Ahronoth group, also flagged the comments in a brief alert describing Eisenkot as very similar to Netanyahu in his positions.

A photograph accompanying the Jerusalem Post report showed Trump speaking to the media before boarding Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 8, 2026. The reports do not state explicitly that this was the setting in which he made the remarks about Eisenkot.

What the mandate means

Israel has a parliamentary system. After a general election, the president, whose role is largely ceremonial, consults the parties elected to the Knesset, Israel's parliament, and then assigns one lawmaker the task of putting together a government. That assignment is commonly called the mandate. The person who receives it must assemble a coalition that commands a majority in the Knesset within a set period, which can be extended. If they fail, the president can hand the task to someone else.

Receiving the mandate does not make the recipient prime minister. Netanyahu remains in office in the meantime, and the outcome depends on whether Eisenkot can secure enough partners. Trump's description of the moment as a contest between the two men reflects that the process is not yet settled.

Why Washington's view is watched in Israel

The United States is Israel's closest ally, and the relationship between an Israeli prime minister and the sitting American president is a recurring theme in Israeli politics. Netanyahu has long presented his ties with Trump as an asset. Remarks from the White House about a rival candidate are therefore read closely in Israel for any sign of preference.

In these comments, Trump did not state a preference. He placed the two men close together on policy, referred to Netanyahu with familiarity, noted what he understood Eisenkot to have said about him, and left the outcome open. The Israeli outlets reporting the remarks treated the fact that he had addressed Eisenkot at all, for the first time since the mandate, as the news.

The reporting

Four Israeli news organisations reported the remarks within minutes of one another, late on November 8 by international time and in the early hours of November 9 in Israel. N12's foreign desk issued several updates, first announcing that Trump had referred to Eisenkot, then publishing his words. Haaretz, the Jerusalem Post and Ynet followed with their own headlines. All of them agree on the core point: Trump said Eisenkot and Netanyahu have very similar views.

What the reports do not say

• None of the reports specifies which policies Trump had in mind when he said the two men are alike.
• No response from Eisenkot, Netanyahu or their parties to Trump's comments has been reported.
• The reports do not identify which statement by Eisenkot about Trump the president was referring to when he said Eisenkot had spoken kindly of him.
• The Jerusalem Post's reading that Trump suggested both men would support him is not supported by a direct quote in the material available.