Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat, says he’s on the same page as President Trump when it comes to cutting off roughly $4 billion in annual aid to Israel.
Appearing on “Morning Joe” Thursday, El-Sayed was asked by host Joe Scarborough what he thought of the president’s decision.
“I agree with him on that,” El-Sayed said, adding that he would love to work with the president on it.
The rare moment of agreement comes after a bitter campaign in which Trump branded El-Sayed a “jihadist” and mocked his name.
Trump announced the move during an Election Day interview on “Fox & Friends.” He said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to halt the assistance by the end of the year, arguing that Israel no longer needs it.
The president also made clear the politics behind the decision. He told co-host Brian Kilmeade that the aid had become a bad talking point for Republicans and asked why the country should take criticism from “lunatics” like El-Sayed when Israel doesn’t need the money.
Trump said Israel will still be able to buy American weapons once the aid ends.
That’s where El-Sayed parts ways with the president. In an interview with NPR, he said Trump is right on the aid policy but that the U.S. should also stop selling Israel weapons, accusing the country of genocide and apartheid.
On “Morning Joe,” El-Sayed said he believes the main objection people had to his past statements was his position on Israel and its funding. He also argued Americans must separate Judaism and the Jewish people from the state of Israel and its actions.
Questions remain about how the cut would work. Under a 2016 memorandum of understanding signed during the Obama administration, the U.S. provides Israel $3.8 billion in military aid each year through fiscal year 2028. Trump used a rounded $4 billion figure.
The United States has provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since the Gaza war began in 2023, under both the Biden and Trump administrations.
El-Sayed, 42, is a former public health official who campaigned on lowering costs, Medicare for All and getting corporate money out of politics. He defeated Republican Mike Rogers, who was backed by Trump, to become Michigan’s first Muslim senator.
His opposition to military aid to Israel was a defining issue in the race. Rep. Haley Stevens, whom El-Sayed beat in the Democratic primary, endorsed Rogers days before the election amid a dispute over Israel.
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