Trump advisors see Netanyahu rivals as opening for Middle East agenda
Some within the US president's circle believe a different Israeli leader could advance his regional goals.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
ترمب (يسار) أبدى دعمه علنا لنتنياهو في الانتخابات رغم معارضة بعض مستشاريه لذلك (الفرنسية)
Photograph: aljazeera.net (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Some advisors to former US President Donald Trump believe that a change in Israeli leadership could benefit Trump's Middle East agenda.
- These advisors reportedly feel that a government led by someone other than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might offer new avenues for Trump's regional goals.
- Despite Trump's public endorsement of Netanyahu, several close advisors reportedly advocated for the US president to remain neutral in the Israeli election.
- Concerns were also raised by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack regarding the Netanyahu government's approach to Syria, and by Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team about settler attacks in the West Bank and strengthening Lebanon's government.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 8 of the 14 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
48/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
45/100
14 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Some advisors to former US President Donald Trump believe that an Israeli government led by someone other than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could open new avenues for Trump's Middle East agenda. This perspective emerged despite Trump's public endorsement of Netanyahu, according to reports citing US officials and Axios.
One advisor described Trump's view of Netanyahu as 'the devil he knows,' indicating Trump's familiarity with the current Israeli prime minister, as he has not worked with any other Israeli leader. Many of Trump's closest advisors reportedly opposed his decision to endorse Netanyahu, believing the president should remain neutral in the Israeli election.
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack reportedly raised concerns about the Netanyahu government's approach to Syria. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team are said to believe Israel could do more to strengthen Lebanon's government and have expressed frustration with Netanyahu's handling of settler attacks in the West Bank.
Disagreements on Trump's endorsement
While reports agree that some Trump advisors opposed his endorsement of Netanyahu, the Jerusalem Post noted that Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Netanyahu when asked, stating, 'I'm not attacking Bibi Netanyahu. I'm not endorsing Bibi Netanyahu… I think the president's endorsement is ultimately what matters.' Al Jazeera reported that some US officials described Trump's endorsement as a 'win-win' situation, suggesting that if Netanyahu won, Trump could claim credit, and if Netanyahu lost, new leaders would still have incentives to build good relations with Trump.
What the coverage left out
None of the right-rated digests mention the concerns raised by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack regarding Syria, nor the frustrations expressed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team about settler attacks in the West Bank and strengthening Lebanon's government. The left-rated digest does not include these specific concerns or frustrations.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 24 Oct 2026, 21:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
- The left-rated report from Al Jazeera led with the idea that Trump's consultants see Netanyahu's departure as an opportunity, despite Trump's electoral support. It highlighted that some US officials believe a government led by someone other than Netanyahu could open new horizons for Trump's agenda. The report detailed that many of Trump's closest advisors opposed his decision to support Netanyahu, believing the president should have stayed out of the Israeli election. It also noted that some US officials described Trump's endorsement as a 'win-win' situation, regardless of the outcome. The report quoted an advisor describing Trump's view of Netanyahu as 'the devil he knows'.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report from the Jerusalem Post focused on Trump advisors being optimistic about working with Netanyahu's rivals if he loses the next election. It stated that Trump endorsed Netanyahu after weeks of hesitation, noting that Trump had never worked with an Israeli prime minister other than Netanyahu. The report included the quote from an advisor calling Netanyahu 'the devil [Trump] knows.' It also mentioned that many of Trump's closest advisors opposed his endorsement, believing the president should stay out of the Israeli election. The report detailed concerns raised by US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack about the Netanyahu government's approach to Syria and frustration from Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team regarding settler attacks in the West Bank and strengthening Lebanon's government. It also included polling data on the upcoming Israeli election.
Right
4 rated outlets
- The right-rated reports from New York Post, Anadolu Ajansı, news-pravda.com, and WIN all highlighted that Trump advisors see opportunities for the Middle East agenda even if Benjamin Netanyahu loses the election. Anadolu Ajansı noted that dissatisfaction with the Israeli premier had grown within Trump's inner circle over the past six months. News-pravda.com stated that Netanyahu's departure would ease US-Israel relations, making it easier for the US to implement its plans in the Middle East. WIN mentioned that neither Netanyahu nor his rival Eisenkot appeared to have a clear path to forming a government.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Trump advisors see Netanyahu rivals as opening for Middle East agenda?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 17% are rated left, 16% are rated centre, 67% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 14. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Trump advisors see Netanyahu rivals as opening for Middle East agenda left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Trump advisors see Netanyahu rivals as opening for Middle East agenda biased?
- Trump advisors see Netanyahu rivals as opening for Middle East agenda is one event reported by 14 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Trump advisors see Netanyahu rivals as opening for Middle East agenda?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Trump advisors see Netanyahu rivals as opening for Middle East agenda?
- 14 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What do some of Donald Trump's advisors believe about the Israeli election?
- Some of Donald Trump's advisors reportedly believe that an Israeli government led by someone other than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could open new avenues for Trump's Middle East agenda. They also reportedly advocated for the US president to remain neutral in the Israeli election, despite Trump's public endorsement of Netanyahu.
- How does Trump view Benjamin Netanyahu, according to reports?
- According to reports citing US officials and Axios, one advisor described Trump's view of Netanyahu as 'the devil he knows.' This suggests a sense of familiarity with the current Israeli prime minister, as Trump has not personally worked with any other Israeli leader.
- What specific concerns have been raised about the Netanyahu government?
- US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack reportedly raised concerns about the Netanyahu government's approach to Syria. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's team is said to believe Israel could do more to strengthen Lebanon's government and has expressed frustration with Netanyahu's handling of settler attacks in the West Bank.
Read it at the source
14 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
1Right
4- Trump advisers see opportunities for Middle East agenda without Netanyahu (opens WIN in a new tab)
- The departure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office will ease the country's relations with the United States, which will find it easier to implement their plans in the Middle East, some senior advisers to the US president believe.. (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump advisers say Netanyahu loss could be good for US agenda (opens New York Post in a new tab)
New York Post — is New York Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Trump Advisors See Opportunity in Israel without Netanyahu: Report (opens Anadolu Ajansı in a new tab)
Anadolu Ajansı — is Anadolu Ajansı biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
8- Trump advisers optimistic about working with Netanyahu's rivals if he loses next election - report - Jewish Rhode Island (opens jewishrhody.com in a new tab)
jewishrhody.com — is jewishrhody.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Allegations Against Trump and Netanyahu! Most of Their Advisors Opposed the Decision to Support Them. (opens A Haber in a new tab)
- Axios: Trump Calls Netanyahu 'the Devil' (opens tabnak.ir in a new tab)
- Axisus: The Majority of Trump's Consultants Oppose His Decision to Support Netanyahu. (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Axios: Trump Calls Netanyahu 'the Devil' (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- What Will Trump Do if Netanyahu Loses the Election? (opens asriran.com in a new tab)
asriran.com — is asriran.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- The US Wants to Get Rid of Netanyahu! "A Devil We know." (opens Akşam in a new tab)
- Allegedly, Most of Trump's Advisors Were Opposed to Directly Supporting Netanyahu. (opens Haberler in a new tab)
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
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