President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States will stop providing $4 billion in annual aid to Israel starting in 2027, replacing the assistance with arms sales to its closest Middle East ally. The Republican president made the comments during a phone call with Fox News Channel on midterm Election Day.
Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached him about the idea and that the two leaders have discussed it for a couple of years. "Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don't need it," Trump said. "And I was approached by Bibi Netanyahu, and we've been talking about it for a couple of years because it's a lot of money."
The president described the arrangement as a form of barter and suggested U.S. aid to Israel has become a Democratic talking point, citing Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The United States has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel in recent years.
Academic studies published last year estimated the U.S. provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel after the Gaza war began in 2023, across both the Biden and Trump administrations. A separate Brown University study said the U.S. spent roughly $10 billion more on security aid and operations in the broader Middle East over the previous two years.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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