'They don't need it': Trump says the US will end $4bn a year in aid to Israel as Americans head to the polls
President Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump announced he would end $4bn a year in aid to Israel, saying Netanyahu had previously expressed a wish to phase out US military aid to zero over the next decade.
Trump said Israel would still be free to purchase American weapons, insisting the country had become "a very thriving country" that no longer needed Washington's financial support.
Trump admitted the move was partly tactical: 'It's the best talking point that these lunatics on the left have' — removing it neutralises Democratic critics including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
Netanyahu said in a May CBS interview he wanted to phase out US military aid to zero over the next decade; Trump's announcement appears to accelerate that timeline sharply.
The existing US-Israel security agreement provides $3.8bn annually through 2028, leaving the legal mechanism for early termination unclear, with no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office.
