President Donald Trump said Tuesday morning that the roughly $4 billion a year in U.S. aid to Israel will end at the close of 2026, telling “Fox & Friends” that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the decision, according to Fox News.
“We were giving them $4 billion, we are, but it gets cut off at the end of the year,” Trump said in the Election Day morning interview, according to Fox News. “They don’t need it,” he added, calling Israel “a very thriving country,” Fox News reported.
BREAKING: President Trump says the U.S. will end roughly $4 billion in annual aid to Israel by the end of the year, revealing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the decision.
When asked why, the president said "because they don't need it." pic.twitter.com/FjvtC9vlol
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) November 3, 2026
According to Reuters, as published by The Jerusalem Post, Trump said, “Now, as far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping.”
“Things and money”
Fox News reported that Trump argued Israel no longer needs the assistance and can purchase its own weapons. Fox News reported that Trump described the support as including “things and money,” characterizing it as military aid, cash or “barter,” and that he said he and Netanyahu had discussed ending the assistance for years, with Netanyahu raising the idea.
Trump also said Democrats and left-wing politicians had been using U.S. funding for Israel as a talking point against Republicans, according to Reuters’ account of the interview.
What the current deal says
The existing U.S.-Israel security assistance agreement provides about $3.8 billion a year through 2028, according to Fox News. Israel Hayom reported that the memorandum of understanding was signed in September 2016 under the Obama administration and covers $38 billion over the decade from 2019 through 2028, including $3.3 billion a year in military financing and $500 million a year for joint missile defense programs such as Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling.
Netanyahu has previously said he wants to phase out Israel’s reliance on U.S. military aid, though the timing and terms of any change have not been detailed, Fox News reported.
Questions still open
Israel Hayom reported that Trump did not provide details of the agreement or say whether he meant a complete end to military aid or a different arrangement. The outlet also reported that Israel has issued no official statement confirming the details or when the change would take effect, and that it remains unclear how the arrangement fits with the memorandum that runs through 2028.
The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on Trump’s statement, according to The Jerusalem Post. Ynet reported that Trump said Israel is “fine with it” and that “we will help Israel if it needs it, they are great allies.”
Any formal change to a multiyear aid agreement could also draw scrutiny from Congress, which appropriates the funds. As of Tuesday morning, neither the White House nor the Israeli prime minister’s office had released written details of the arrangement in the reports cited here.
The announcement came as voters headed to the polls in the 2026 midterm elections, with control of the House and Senate on the ballot.
Sources
Sources cited
- https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-israel-stop-receiving-4b-us-aid-years-end-can-still-buy-weapons
- https://www.jpost.com/international/article-913711
- https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/11/03/trump-netanyahu-and-i-agreed-to-stop-4-billion-us-aid-to-israel/
- https://www.ynetnews.com/article/f7qo0misv
Sources
- Original post: FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) on X, Nov 3, 2026
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