Trump says he'll cut aid to Israel by the end of the year after striking agreement with Netanyahu: 'They no longer need it'

President Donald Trump has said he will cut aid to Israel by the end of the year after striking an agreement with Benjamin Netanyahu.'They don't need it. Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an [Abdul] El-Sayed when they don't need it? They no longer need it, Israel is a thriving country,' Trump said during a Tuesday interview on Fox and Friends.He explained: '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.'Trump said the aid will be 'cut off at the end of the year,' but added that if the circumstances change, the US could help Israel again.'Now we'll help Israel if they need it. You know they've been a great ally,' he added.Trump also highlighted that Netanyahu understands that US aid to Israel has become a Democratic talking point for candidates such as Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a vocal critic of Israel.'The left uses the $4 billion payment - that everybody knows about, it's no secret - as a signal of unfairness,' the president said. 'And we can't allow that to happen. I don't like that, because it's too easy. It's almost too easy a target. And Bibi and I have been talking, and we've agreed. He was very understanding of it.' Although the $4 billion in aid will stop, America will continue to sell arms to Israel. President Donald Trump, pictured Monday, has said he will cut aid to Israel by the end of the year after striking an agreement with Benjamin NetanyahuAccording to Trump, Netanyahu, pictured in October, initiated the conversation about ending American aid. He told Trump: 'I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid'According to Trump, Netanyahu initiated the conversation about ending American aid.He claimed the Israeli Prime Minister told him: 'I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid.'Trump said Netanyahu understands that US aid is 'one of their points of contention,' referring to the Democrats.'You can consider it barter. You can consider military aid or cash,' Trump said.'Look, we give them $4 billion of things and money, and they don't need it. And I was approached by Bibi Netanyahu, and we've been talking about it for a couple of years because it's a lot of money.' The US has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel over the last few years. In 2016, President Barack Obama, a Democrat, signed an unprecedented security agreement with Israel to give its military $38 billion over 10 years, amounting to $3.8 billion a year. Under the agreement, Israel's ability to spend part of the funds on Israeli military products was to be phased out and eventually all of the money would be spent on American military industries. The US has provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel after the start of the Gaza war in 2023, a study showed. Netanyahu with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in December 2025 Trump said Netanyahu understands that US aid to Israel has become a Democratic talking point for candidates such as Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, pictured MondayNetanyahu has talked about the need to wean Israel off the aid in the past and has said that the American aid would end at some point.He told The Economist in January that he wanted to 'taper off' US military aid in the next 10 years and that such a change was 'in the works.'Phasing out direct military and economic aid to Israel has long been a subject of debate in both countries and has gained traction in the last several years.There are several issues that complicate it, though, not least of which are obligations the US has to Israel under the terms of the Camp David peace accords with Egypt, which require the United States to support Israel and Egypt with security assistance.In addition, much of the assistance the US provides Israel comes in the form of foreign military financing, or FMF, that gives Israel the money but requires it to spend the money on American-produced weaponry, meaning the funds are plowed back into the US economy.Unless Israel plans to spend the same amount on purchasing American materiel, US defense contractors may see an impact.An academic study published last year showed the US – under the administrations of President Joe Biden and Trump – provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel after the start of the Gaza war in 2023. The study was published on the second anniversary of Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Palestinian Civil Defense crews attempt to extinguish a burning car struck by an Israeli military strike in Gaza City on Monday Buildings and tents sheltering displaced Palestinians sustain heavy damage following an Israeli army strike targeting a building in the Saftawi area of Gaza City on October 30, 2026Another study, also published last year by the Costs of War project at Brown University's Watson School of International and Public Affairs, said the US had spent roughly $10 billion more on security aid and operations in the broader Middle East in the previous two years.While the reports relied on open source material for most of their findings, they offered some of the most comprehensive accountings of US military aid to close ally Israel and estimated costs of direct American military involvement in the Middle East.