During a 60 Minutes interview, President Donald Trump partially blamed Republicans’ poor performance in the 2026 midterm elections on what he called a “great dislike for Israel” among American voters, alongside, of course, opposition to the war with Iran and rising gasoline prices.
His remarks come amid declining American support for Israel, even as Vice President J.D. Vance also suggests Republicans may need to reconsider their “relationship” with the Jewish state to win future elections.
On Election Day, President Trump announced that the United States would end its nearly $4 billion in annual military aid to Israel by the end of 2026. That announcement blindsided Israeli security and financial officials since the current agreement provides Israel with $3.8 billion annually through September 2028. Trump was quick to point out that Israel has been a very strong ally of the United States, and he added that the Jewish State supports the decision.
But the fact that he made this announcement on the morning of the midterm elections tells you just how controversial American military aid to Israel has become among both Republicans and Democrats.
Here’s my take.
As former advisor to Benjamin Netanyahu once observed, Israel has become “the world’s Jew.”
Can’t pay your bills? Blame Israel. Frustrated with the moral decline of our country? Blame Israel. Unhappy with the election results? Blame Israel. Not happy with the way your life is going? Just blame Israel.
For centuries, the Jewish people have been scapegoated for society’s problems. Today, that same hostility is increasingly directed at the Jewish state.
The irony of it all is that Israel has contributed so much to the world, from medicine and technology to agriculture and national security, improving our everyday lives in ways that most people don’t even realize.
God is drawing a line in the sand. If Israel has become the world’s Jew, then those who love truth must speak out against the voices that spread lies. We must insist on moral consistency and reject the old habit of scapegoating the Jewish people, whether the target is a synagogue or a sovereign state. We must courageously say that, while criticism of Israel is not automatically antisemitism, obsessive disparagement and demonization of Israel and denial of its right to exist are.
Perhaps it’s time that we stop blaming Israel for our problems and start recognizing how much Israel has blessed the world.
