‘It’s a Bad Talking Point!’ Trump Explains Why He’s Cutting $4B in Aid to Israel

President Donald Trump told Fox & Friends that he was cutting $4 billion in aid to Israel because the policy was a “bad talking point” that opened Republicans to criticism from “lunatics” like Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

Calling into the Fox News show on the morning of the midterm elections, Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to halt the assistance by the end of the year, arguing that Israel no longer needed American financial support.

But the president repeatedly cited the political consequences of continuing the payments, singling out El-Sayed as an example of opponents exploiting the issue.

“Why? Because they don’t need it, Brian. I mean, I asked them, because they don’t need it. And because why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like El-Sayed when they don’t need it,” Trump told co-host Brian Kilmeade, who pressed him on the idea.

He continued: “It is a bad talking point! Why don’t we give everybody $4 billion? Israel is our number one. We give them more than anybody else, and they no longer need it.”

Trump insisted the decision had been reached in consultation with Netanyahu: “Bibi [Netanyahu], we reached an agreement on that. And can I be honest with you, he brought it up, he said, ‘I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid.’”

The president maintained that Israel remained a valued American ally, describing the country as more reliable than many of Washington’s other international partners.

Pressed by Kilmeade on whether the cuts would affect military equipment or direct financial assistance, Trump offered little distinction.

“Any way you want to define it, consider it barter, you can consider it military aid or cash,” he said. “We give them $4 billion of things and money and they don’t need it.”

Co-host Lawrence Jones subsequently suggested that ending the payments would deprive Democrats of an effective attack against Republican candidates.

Trump agreed, declaring: “Great word usage, ‘talking point.’”

The president continued: “The best talking point that these lunatics have on the left, they are lunatics, they have no idea how great our country has become. We are a beacon. Our country is the greatest country anywhere in the world and two years ago under Biden we were a laughingstock. The left uses $4 billion payment that everybody knows about, no secret, as a signal of unfairness and we can’t allow that to happen. I don’t like that, because it is too easy.”

“It’s almost too easy to target, and Bibi and I have been talking, and we agree,” he concluded. “He is very understanding of it.”

Watch above via Fox News.

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