Trump just said he was ending aid to Israel. He might actually mean it.

The president says American aid to Israel is more trouble than it’s worth. Some right-wing Israelis agree. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the US would soon cut off military aid to Israel . During an Election Day interview with Fox & Friends , Trump said of Israel, “We were giving them $4 billion but it’s cut off at the end of the year.” When asked to explain this position, Trump said that Israel was a “very successful country” that didn’t need Americans’ money — and that the aid had become an “easy target” for “lunatics like [Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul] El-Sayed” in the midterm elections. Trump also suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed with this reasoning and supported a cessation of US aid to his country. Of course, Trump says a lot of things. If all of his policy declarations could be taken at face value, then US soldiers would now be patrolling the streets of Gaza , while American hoteliers redeveloped its coastline . During a May interview with 60 Minutes , Netanyahu said he would like to “draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have.” Amit Halevi, a lawmaker in Israel’s parliament and member of Netanyahu’s party, spelled out the logic of his position last year. But it would scarcely threaten Israel’s ability to pursue whatever foreign policy it sees fit. In his Senate race, Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has tried to tap into this isolationist sentiment, describing his plans for slashing aid to Israel — and increasing benefits for US citizens — as an “ America First ” agenda.