President Donald Trump seemed to stun the Fox & Friends host with a surprise announcement that $4 billion in US military aid to Israel will end in December.
He did it so casually Tuesday morning that the Fox & Friends hosts had to interrupt him multiple times to ask if they’d heard him right. They had. And Trump's reason for ending the aid? Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed keeps bringing it up.
“We were giving them 4 billion; it gets cut off at the end of the year because they don’t need it,” Trump said just after 8:20. “Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like El-Sayed when they don’t need it? It is a bad talking point.”
A bad talking point is the reason for ending military aid to Israel. There has never been a more effective talking point in midterm election history. Trump just gave El Sayed a massive win.
Trump clarified and claimed that Benjamin Netanyahu asked for the US to end its military aid, which seems …odd? “Bibi brought it up. He said, I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid.” Asked whether the $4 billion was weapons or cash, Trump said, “Any way you want to define it, consider it barter, military aid or cash.” Israel can still buy American weapons. “Oh, yes, they can buy whatever they want, so can Europe.”
Watch a portion of his interview below:
Fox & Friends hosts were clearly caught off guard. Brian Kilmeade broke in to clarify: “Are we to understand we cut off aid to Israel?” Then, “Sorry for not knowing this, 4 billion in military aid, actually hardware or 4 billion as in a check?” Lawrence Jones tried to sum it up. The left had “weaponized” the aid against Republican candidates, and Trump was taking “this talking point off the table.” Trump agreed. “Great word usage, talking point. The best talking point that these lunatics have on the left.”
El-Sayed’s closing line Monday night was that it shouldn’t be this hard to pay your taxes and know the money is spent on you “instead of dropping bombs on somebody else and their kids.” Trump mentioned him twice. “When you see this lunatic running in Michigan, he talks about money we pay them all the time. He says, why are we giving Israel 4 billion dollars. Take that off the table.”
The current agreement provides $3.8 billion a year through 2028, and Congress appropriates it. Reuters reported it was unclear which funding Trump meant. Netanyahu’s office had not commented. Polls in Michigan close at 8 PM.
Watch above via Fox Nes.
“…President Donald Trump seemed to stun the Fox & Friends host with a surprise announcement that $4 billion in US military aid to Israel will end in December...”