President Donald Trump told Fox News on November 3, 2026, that the United States will stop giving Israel roughly $4 billion in annual military aid by the end of the year, claiming he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached a deal “months ago.” The announcement landed on the same day Americans voted in the midterm elections, and it quickly drew sharp reaction from journalist and political commentator Mehdi Hasan, who publicly questioned whether the plan is real or just a political maneuver. Hasan’s response, posted on X, summed up the skepticism of many observers: he wants proof, not just a phone interview.
What Trump Said on Fox News
During a telephone interview with Fox News on Tuesday morning, Trump said the funding arrangement with Israel was changing. “We give Israel $4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping,” Trump said, according to Reuters and the BBC. He added that Israel no longer needs the money because the country’s economy is strong. “Israel is a very thriving country. They don’t need it,” Trump said. “Now we’ll help Israel if they need it.”
Trump also framed the decision as a way to remove a political headache for Republicans. He argued that left-wing Democrats had been using the aid package as a “bad talking point” against his party. “Why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don’t need it? It’s a bad talking point,” Trump said, referring to Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan who has been critical of US military support for Israel.
The timing of the announcement raised immediate questions. Americans were voting in midterm elections that would decide control of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s presidency. The announcement also came shortly after Israeli parliamentary elections on October 27 produced no clear winner, leaving Netanyahu’s political future uncertain.
Mehdi Hasan’s Response: ‘I’ll Believe This When I See It’
Mehdi Hasan, the founder of the media outlet Zeteo and a former MSNBC host, reacted to Trump’s claim in a post on X on November 3, 2026. His message was short and direct.
“I’ll believe this when I see it. And of course we know the aid issue is now a Netanyahu bait-and-switch for integration of the Israeli military into the US military.”
Hasan’s comment pointed to a deeper concern: that ending direct financial aid might not mean ending US military support for Israel. Instead, he suggested the money could be replaced by closer integration between the two militaries, a shift that would be harder for the public to track. A report from The Current noted that Hasan cautioned against reading the announcement as a complete end to US military backing, arguing that Washington could replace direct aid with “deeper military cooperation” and integration into its defense production system.
Hasan’s skepticism was not isolated. The announcement came with few details about how the funding would actually be stopped. The existing agreement between the US and Israel, a Memorandum of Understanding, provides $3.8 billion in annual military aid and does not expire until September 2028. Trump did not explain how a deal made “months ago” could override a signed agreement that still has years left to run.
The Reality of the Aid Package
The numbers Trump used did not perfectly match the official figures. The US has been sending Israel $3.8 billion per year under the current Memorandum of Understanding, not $4 billion, though Trump repeatedly used the round figure of $4 billion in his Fox News interview. The BBC noted that it was “unclear what funds the president was referring to” and that the White House had been contacted for clarification.
Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign assistance since the end of World War II. A congressional report cited by the BBC put the total at $174 billion in non-inflation-adjusted dollars. The Council on Foreign Relations estimates that Israel has received more than $300 billion in economic and military assistance since its founding in 1948, adjusted for inflation.
Netanyahu himself had previously spoken about winding down US aid. In a May 2026 interview with CBS, the Israeli prime minister said he wanted to reduce US financial support to “zero” over time. “Let’s start now and do it over the next decade, over the next ten years, but I want to start now,” Netanyahu said. That earlier statement gave Trump’s claim a surface-level plausibility, even though the formal agreement remains in place until 2028.
Political Timing and Pushback from Israel
The announcement was not received warmly by everyone in Israel. Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the rival bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu, wrote on X that the decision showed dangerous conduct by the prime minister. “The fact that Israel’s defense establishment is learning of a shift in our strategic relationship through the media at the same time as the Israeli public shows just how dangerous Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct is,” Eisenkot said. “He can no longer be trusted and must be replaced”.
Eisenkot’s reaction highlighted a key problem with Trump’s announcement: it appeared to catch Israeli officials off guard. The New Straits Times reported that Netanyahu’s office had not commented on the deal, and it was “not immediately clear when the US aid to Israel would actually end”. The BBC also noted that the Israeli Prime Minister’s office had yet to comment when the story was published.
Political analysts in the US suggested the timing was designed for the election. Reuters reported that “analysts suggested his declaration was timed as an Election Day ploy”. The midterm elections were dominated by several issues, but support for Israel had become a dividing line within the Democratic Party, particularly in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed was running for Senate. El-Sayed’s criticism of US aid to Israel had become a flashpoint in the race, and Trump directly referenced him in his Fox News interview.
Social Media Reactions: Support, Doubt, and Frustration
Hasan’s post drew a range of responses on X, captured by Soap Central. Some users backed his skepticism. “Keep providing the facts Mehdi. We need you so much. Thanks for what you do!” one user wrote. Another commented, “Hard to believe when he lies so much.” A third user said, “This is another lie from Trump. Don’t believe it. Vote blue today”.
One reply pushed back against Hasan’s position entirely. “What else are you going to complain about now. Israel has one of the best economies in the world and will now make their own weapons. Unfortunately Americans will lose jobs,” the user wrote. The exchange reflected the broader split in US public opinion. A September 2026 poll from Quinnipiac University found that nearly half of voters — 48% — believed the US was too supportive of Israel, up from 16% in 2017.
The numbers tell part of the story. Support for Israel among the American public has been softening, especially after the war in Gaza began in October 2023. A July 2026 vote in Congress on cutting $3.3 billion in security aid to Israel drew support from 103 Democrats, though the measure was defeated 314 to 104. The political ground on the issue is shifting, and Trump’s announcement appeared designed to speak to that shift without committing to a detailed policy change.
What Is Actually Known
The core facts remain disputed. Trump said a deal was made “months ago” to stop the $4 billion in annual payments by the end of 2026. The formal US-Israel agreement, however, provides $3.8 billion per year through 2028, and no paperwork or official White House statement has been released to explain how the funding would be halted early. The BBC contacted the White House for clarification, and the New York Times reported that Trump said “the bulk of American aid to Israel would be cut off by the end of year” without providing further details.
Netanyahu’s office has not publicly confirmed the arrangement. Eisenkot’s statement suggested that Israeli defense officials learned about the shift through the media, not through formal channels. Until the White House or the Israeli government releases an official document or a formal statement, the claim remains a presidential comment made during a live radio interview on Election Day.
Mehdi Hasan‘s response captured the central tension: a major policy announcement was made without a paper trail, on a day when political attention was elsewhere, and with no clear explanation of how it would be carried out. His demand for proof — “I’ll believe this when I see it” — is not a partisan talking point. It is a basic question about how a $3.8 billion commitment can be ended before its 2028 expiry date without a new agreement, a congressional vote, or a formal announcement from either government.
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