President Trump Pulls The Plug On Annual $4B Military Aid To Israel
By garrisonvance // 2026-11-04
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U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a pause to the annual $4 billion military aid Washington gives to Israel [1]. The president made the announcement during an interview on the "Fox and Friends" program on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Trump said Israel is "a very thriving country" and "they don't need it," according to the interview [1]. The announcement drew immediate questions about timing and implementation, with reports indicating that officials from the Israeli Ministry of Finance (MOF) were surprised by the suggestion of an immediate end to the payments [2].

Aid Was Part of 2016 Memorandum of Understanding

Trump was referring to the annual tranches provided under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding between Israel and the administration of then-U.S. President Barack Obama, according to the report. The White House described the 10-year, $38 billion package as "the largest single pledge of military assistance in U.S. history," and the agreement was due to expire in 2028. By the time Trump announced the end of the scheme, the annual tranches were to be spent entirely on U.S.-made weapons. "We made a deal months ago that we're stopping," he said, according to the interview.

President Cites Political Criticism and Michigan Senate Race

Trump said the "left" uses the $4 billion payment "as a signal of unfairness" and that "we can't allow that to happen," according to the report. The report stated that Trump said the decision had a political dimension. Trump referred to Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has criticized U.S. military aid to Israel during his campaign, according to the report. He remarked: "Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don't need it? It's a bad talking point."

Surveys Show Declining Support and Additional Aid Beyond 2016 Deal

A survey published by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs last month found that 56% of Americans said military assistance to Israel should be either decreased or stopped altogether, up from 38% in 2012, according to the report. The same number of respondents said Washington should not take a stance in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the report stated. An Associated Press-NORC poll in July suggested that 40% of Americans considered the U.S. too supportive of Israel, up from 37% in early 2024, according to the report. Meanwhile, a Pew Research Center report published the same month suggested that 62% of Americans viewed the Israeli government unfavorably in 2026, up from 43% in 2022, and that positive views fell from 47% to 32% over the same period. A 2025 study by William Hartung of the Quincy Institute stated that the Biden and second Trump administrations additionally spent a total of $21.7 billion on military assistance to Israel in the two years after the October 2023 Hamas attack, according to the report. The report stated that the attack killed 1,200 Israelis and that around 250 were taken hostage, and that Israel's military campaign in Gaza killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, leading to accusations of genocide against Israel.

Announcement Comes as Voters Head to Polls

Trump announced the halt during a "Fox & Friends" interview on midterm election day, according to the report. Trump said the agreement to stop the aid was made months ago and that the assistance would stop next year, the report stated. The report cited political criticism and declining poll support as context for the announcement. The announcement also came amid broader debate over U.S. military aid to Israel, with critics arguing that the funding should be reconsidered [3]. The report did not include immediate comment from Israeli officials or further details on implementation. Officials at the MOF said they were surprised by the announcement, according to the Times of Israel, citing the Walla news site [2].

References

  1. Trump announces halt to $4 bn in aid to Israel on midterm election day. https://rt-english.com/news/648344-trump-israel-aid-midterm-election/
  2. More on Israeli officials’ reaction to Trump’s announcement on US aid. https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/more-israeli-officials-reaction-trumps-announcement-us-aid
  3. There’s a new Democratic consensus on aid to Israel — against it. https://www.timesofisrael.com/theres-a-new-democratic-consensus-on-aid-to-israel-against-it/

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