Trump jokes about moving to Israel to become prime minister
The US President claimed he has a 99 per cent approval rating in Israel during a Fox News interview on Election Day.
US President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday, November 3, that he might relocate to Israel to seek political office if American voters lose interest in him. Speaking to Fox News during the 2026 midterm elections, Trump claimed he holds a 99 per cent approval rating in Israel, a figure he said is the highest in history, though he provided no polling data to support it.
According to reports from Moneycontrol, Hindustan Times, and News18, Trump stated that if he becomes unpopular in the United States, he would move to Israel to serve as its prime minister. He attributed his popularity in Israel to his administration's actions against Iran.
During the same interview, Trump announced that the United States would stop providing its annual financial assistance to Israel after this year. He claimed to have reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the payments, stating that Israel no longer requires the funding.
Trump noted that while the current assistance includes approximately $4 billion annually, the US would still provide help or sell weapons to Israel if the country needs it. He argued that some politicians use the aid as a tool to criticise Republicans.
The announcement regarding aid comes as the existing security assistance agreement is set to run through September 2028. Israeli opposition figure Gadi Eisenkot criticised the situation, stating that the Israeli defence establishment is learning of the shift in the strategic relationship through the media.
The remarks were made as Americans vote in the midterm elections for 435 House of Representatives seats and 35 Senate seats.
