I Voted For Trump. After Today’s Israel Aid Announcement, I Regret It

I voted for President Trump. After hearing what he said about aid to Israel on Election Day morning, I regret it.

Today, November 3, Trump said in a television interview that the United States would stop providing Israel roughly $4 billion in annual assistance at the end of this year.

“We were giving them $4 billion – we are – but it gets cut off at the end of the year,” he said. He said Prime Minister Netanyahu had proposed ending the aid and that Israel could still buy American weapons.

I understand that Israel may want to become less dependent on American assistance. There is nothing wrong with discussing that goal. Trump says Netanyahu brought it up. That matters, and it deserves to be acknowledged.

But the details matter too. The existing security-assistance agreement provides about $3.8 billion annually through 2028. The timing and terms of any change have not been laid out. Announcing a cutoff is not the same thing as explaining how it will work.

And why make this announcement on the morning of the midterms, while talking about a Senate race?

If this is about pandering to win votes, then he is just like every other politician. That is exactly the kind of politics I thought I was voting against.

I did not expect to agree with every decision Trump made. Voting for someone does not mean giving him a blank check. It certainly does not mean staying quiet when something he says leaves you feeling that your trust was misplaced.

I want a clear explanation of what was agreed, what is changing, and why it is being announced this way. I want Israel’s security treated as a serious issue, not as an inconvenience in a campaign argument.

Perhaps there is more to this agreement than we have heard. If so, explain it. But do not ask those of us who supported you to pretend the timing and the political language do not matter.

I voted for Trump because I expected something different. If an ally’s security is now another talking point to adjust for the midterms, I regret that vote.

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