Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones, co-hosts of the popular morning show “Fox & Friends,” caused quite a stir among supporters of President Donald Trump when they slammed Vice President JD Vance for not endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his re-election bid. During a conversation with veteran reporter Mark Halperin, Vance decided not to endorse Netanyahu’s bid for reelection.
This came a day after President Trump chose to back Netanyahu. “The president has the most effective endorsement in American or international political history. I endorse American candidates, and that’s where I’m focused on in the midterms. So I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” Vance told Halperin during the interview, which took place aboard Air Force Two.
“I’m not anti-endorsing him. I’m not pro-endorsing him. I’m not getting involved in Israeli elections,” he added after being pressed further on the issue. Kilmeade and Jones were very displeased with Vance’s decision and made that displeasure known during the show, calling it an “unforced error” that could cost him should he choose to run for president in 2028.
“He went out of his way to say, even though the president endorsed Bibi Netanyahu, I am not… That’s interesting, because the rap on him is he seems to be a little bit anti-Israel,” Kilmeade went on to say about the issue, according to a report from Trending Politics News. Jones then added, “There’s no reason to say that.”
Kilmeade then noted that Vance previously campaigned for Hungary’s Viktor Orban before the start of the midterm election cycle. “Because you know who he did vote for? He went to campaign for Viktor Orban in Hungary, so you can’t say, I don’t worry about other people’s elections,” Kilmeade pointed out. “Viktor Orban in Hungary, who lost. Disappointed,” Jones responded.
The quickness and passion with which both hosts attacked the vice president for not endorsing the leader of a foreign country raised some eyebrows among prominent Trump supporters. “JD Vance is now being labeled anti-Israel, that he committed an ‘unforced error,’ and they’re ‘disappointed’ he didn’t endorse Bibi Netanyahu,” conservative commentator Jack Posobiec said of the situation.
“‘It’s your duty as the Vice President of the United States to support a foreign leader,’” The Blaze contributor Auron Macintyre said in a post published on X. “So obvious what is being done here.” New public polling data has revealed that most Americans have limited support for Netanyahu. A survey from the Pew Research Center that was conducted in March 2026 found that 27% of adults in the U.S. expressed confidence that Netanyahu would do the right thing, while 59% had little or no confidence.
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Among Republicans and independents who lean Republican, views were more mixed. A total of 45% reported having confidence in the prime minister, with 44% saying that they had little to none in him. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 76% said they lacked confidence, including 52% who said they had no confidence at all. Another reason conservatives are less supportive of Netanyahu is due to a growing frustration with American tax dollars being sent to other countries abroad, including Israel.
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