Trump Announces Plan to Cut U.S. Aid to Israel
President Trump claims agreement with Netanyahu to stop billions in annual aid to Israel.
4 min read
President Donald Trump announced during a final media appearance on Fox News’ ‘Fox and Friends’ that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reached an agreement to stop providing billions in annual U.S. aid to Israel. The announcement came as midterm elections began across the country.
.@POTUS on aid to Israel: "It gets cut off at the end of the year… They don’t need it… Israel is a very thriving country." https://t.co/iIJbOv2kgU
During the interview, Trump addressed the long-standing U.S. assistance provided to Israel, primarily for military and security purposes. He stated that the U.S. and Israel had agreed to stop providing the $4 billion in annual aid, which he said was unnecessary given Israel’s success as a nation.
“As far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal to give $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago. That we’re stopping, and they’re fine with it. Cause you know, because they have become a very successful country. They don’t need it. And we won’t be paying more [to] Israel,” Trump said.
“It’s just a wasted thing because we’ve already agreed that by the end of this year, we won’t be paying Israel. Now, we’ll help Israel if they need it. You know, they’ve been a great ally, and we’ve been the greatest of all allies to many countries,” he continued.
Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade interjected to clarify whether Trump meant the U.S. would no longer provide Israel with $4 billion worth of weapons. Trump interrupted to discuss the U.S. having total control of the Strait of Hormuz and the power of the United States’ military before Kilmeade returned to the question of Israeli aid.
“When it comes to Israel aid — we understand that we have cut aid to Israel that we were giving them $4 billion, and you are no longer going to be giving them $4 billion?” Kilmeade asked. (RELATED: US Oil Plunges Below $100 On Hopes Of Iran Peace Deal)
“We were giving them $4 billion. We are. But it gets cut off at the end of the year,” Trump responded.
Kilmeade pressed the President, asking him “why” they are cutting the funding. Trump responded, “Why? They don’t need it, Brian. I mean, I asked them, because they don’t need it, and because why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like El-Sayed when they don’t need it? It’s a bad talking point,” Trump said.
Trump said he and Netanyahu had reached an agreement to end the assistance after discussing the issue for a couple of years. He added that the Israeli prime minister had raised the prospect of ending the aid himself.
Big news on Israel aid. Trump says he agreed with Netanyahu to end the $3.8B in annual military assistance to Israel. “We made a deal months ago that we’re stopping, and at there they’re fine with it… we won’t be paying any more Israel… We’ve already agreed that by the end of this year we won’t be paying Israel. Now, we’ll help Israel if they need it.” https://t.co/diBBC0ltLF
“We reached an agreement on that, and can I be honest with you? He brought it up,” Trump said, explaining that Netanyahu believed it would be “appropriate” for Israel to stop receiving the assistance. Trump acknowledged that he understood the issue was a “point of contention.” (RELATED: Multiple Mike Rogers Campaign Staffers Are Paid Agents For Israel, Report Shows)
Kilmeade again sought clarification on whether Trump was ending $4 billion in military assistance, including weapons and other hardware, or a direct financial payment. Trump responded, “Four billion in any way you want to define it. You can consider it a barter, you can consider it military aid or cash. We give them billions of dollars in things and money, and they don’t need it,” Trump responded.
Trump shared an additional motivator for ending U.S. aid to Israel: “I am someone who would like to have a balanced budget. I would love to be able to balance out the budget, and I think I can do it.”
Source: Daily Caller
