Trump Cuts Israel Aid As Michigan Vote Closes

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday morning that nearly $4 billion in annual US military aid to Israel would end by the close of the year. He stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the termination of the funding. The President cited Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed in a Fox News interview, asking why the US should suffer criticism from "lunatics like an El-Sayed" when the country "doesn't need it." The timing of the announcement falls just hours before voters in Michigan head to the polls for a decisive Senate contest.

The Michigan race pits El-Sayed, a former county health director, against Republican former congressman Mike Rogers. El-Sayed’s campaign centers on Medicare for All and an anti-corporate platform. His stance on Israel has become a central point of contention. He has called for ending all US military aid to the state. This position turned him into a target for pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC. The organization spent heavily against him in both the primary and the general election. This represents a rare intervention by AIPAC to support a Republican in a general election.

Jewish voters in Michigan have faced pressure from both sides. Several local Jewish leaders pledged to vote for Rogers, citing El-Sayed’s comments on Israel’s existence. Yard signs in Jewish neighborhoods declared that a vote for Rogers was a vote against antisemitism. Rogers told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in October that El-Sayed is anti-Jewish. He also ran advertisements highlighting El-Sayed’s family associations with the Muslim Brotherhood. Trump called Jews crazy if they backed El-Sayed. Texas Senator Ted Cruz labeled the Democrat a national security threat.

Tensions escalated in the days leading up to the election. Representative Haley Stevens, a pro-Israel Democrat who lost to El-Sayed in the primary, endorsed Rogers. Her fiancé, a Democratic megadonor, also supported Rogers. The endorsement drew criticism from Jewish Democratic leaders. It followed public sparring in which Stevens pressed El-Sayed to condemn a political action committee ad linking grocery prices to US aid for Israel. The Michigan Jewish Democratic Caucus issued a statement on Monday. It declared the group would never vote for a Republican. The statement said the caucus’s commitment to the Democratic ticket remains resolute.

El-Sayed has attempted to reassure Jewish voters throughout the campaign. He apologized for comments made after the March attack on Temple Israel. He distanced himself from streamer Hasan Piker. He hired a Jewish outreach director. In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, he stated that Israel has a right to exist. His campaign sent mailers to Jewish households stating he is committed to protecting Michigan Jews against hatred. He told JTA in August that the prerequisite of Jewish safety is never in question to him. More than 1,000 Michigan Jews signed an open letter supporting El-Sayed. A smaller group of 560 pledged to vote for Rogers.

Despite these efforts, El-Sayed maintained positions that alienated some Jewish voters. He asserted in the final weeks that Israel is not actually our friend. During a debate, he declined to say whether Israel or Iran posed a greater danger to the United States. His campaign released an ad featuring a clip of Tucker Carlson. He also maintained associations with allies who made comments about Jews and Israel. A group of rabbis and leaders launched Nonnegotiable Michigan to press him to affirm five core principles of Jewish participation. These include Jewish sovereignty in Israel. After silence from the campaign, some figureheads urged followers to write in 19th-century poet Emma Lazarus.

Michigan has a Jewish population of approximately 105,000 adults. The state’s 2024 Senate race was decided by fewer than 20,000 votes. This narrow margin means the split in the Jewish community could determine which party controls the chamber. The contest has exposed shifting fault lines within the Democratic Party regarding Israel. It has also highlighted growing uneasiness among many Jews about their place in the liberal coalition.