Trump: Republicans did poorly in midterms because of a ‘great dislike, incredibly, for Israel’
US president says Americans were unhappy with Iran war and rise of gas prices
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that one of the reasons Republicans received a resounding slap in last week’s midterm elections is because Americans really don’t like Israel, with which his administration has a close relationship.
Trump was asked during an interview on 60 Minutes to reflect on the midterms, and he gave several reasons for the Democratic takeover of both the House and the Senate.
“Number one, I was not on the ballot,” Trump said, noting that voters didn’t like some of the Republican candidates, including ones he endorsed.
“But there’s something beyond that. They didn’t like the [Iran] war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up,” he added.
“And there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel,” Trump said, without elaborating.
Polling has shown US public support for Israel has fallen since the Gaza war began in 2023 in the wake of the October 7 Hamas massacre, particularly among Democrats.
Vice President JD Vance suggested last week that Republicans would have to change their relationship with Israel if they want to win future elections.
On the morning of the elections, Trump said the United States would cease providing $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of 2026. The comments reportedly caught Israeli security and financial officials off guard, given that the current memorandum of understanding on US military assistance to Israel, which gives the Jewish state $3.8 billion annually, doesn’t expire until the end of September 2028.
Trump tried to qualify the announcement by stressing that Israel has been a good ally and even backs the policy, but his decision to issue it on the morning of the Congressional midterm elections highlighted how toxic the issue of aid to Israel has become among both parties in the US.
Trump last year reportedly warned one of his Jewish donors of waning support among his own supporters.
Separately on Sunday, Trump was asked by reporters for comment on Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot being given the first opportunity over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a new government in Israel.
“They’re very similar in terms of their policy… [Eisenkot] said very nice things about me. He says he loves Trump, but… I haven’t seen what’s happening. It’s certainly a contest between him and Bibi Netanyahu. We’ll see what happens,” he told reporters.
Eisenkot avoided criticizing Trump after the US president twice endorsed Netanyahu ahead of last month’s Knesset election. The prime minister reportedly pressed Trump for public expressions of support as repeated polls indicated that his current coalition was far from securing a majority.
Eisenkot, who ended up clinching a majority of endorsements for prime minister after the election, has sought to differentiate himself from Netanyahu on the style in which he would govern, but has avoided laying out substantive policy differences. He has indicated a desire to form a more moderate government than Netanyahu’s outgoing coalition, which included far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
Trump has in the past harshly criticized Netanyahu for his aggressive policies in the region.
In June, Israel’s continued strikes in Lebanon frustrated Iran peace talks, which drew expletive-laden criticism of Netanyahu from Trump, who called the premier “fucking crazy.”
Trump also reportedly referred to Netanyahu as “his own worst enemy” earlier in the year, amid frustration with some of the policies.
Despite their disagreements, Trump and Netanyahu have continued to insist they have a good working relationship. PJC
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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