BREAKING: Shocking Trump Announcement on Election Day

We got breaking news. President Trump makes a shocking announcement on Election Day. Keeping you informed and engaged now more than ever. This is Sekulow. We want to hear from you.

Share and post your comments. For call one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. And now, your host Logan Secula. Welcome to Secula. Will Haynes in studio.

Jordan's joining us later, and Jeff Balaban from ACLJ Jerusalem on today. I thought it was appropriate to have him on as this morning it is election day. This morning, President Trump made a media appearance on Fox and Friends, announcing that the U.S. will cut off aid to military Israel, and not just military. T here is aid.

He said, "Kind of take it however you want." The U.S. would cut off aid to Israel. By the end of the year, this comes at a very, very particular time, and a time that makes me a bit nervous. It has less to do with the idea of ending aid and financial aid to Israel. There's been a lot of talks, including from Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying this was what he wanted.

But what he wanted was a phasing out over the next decade. He's been talking about that for a long time. What President Trump announced this morning is that aid would end by the end of the year.

Now again, that's a pretty shocking announcement on election day, and specifically turns to the reasoning behind it being politically motivated, and that it is in response to the rise in people like Al Sayed, and I find this deeply concerning. I'm gonna be honest with you. Not again about the money. More about the timing and the political win. I feel like that was just handed to the anti-Israel wing of the conservatives, or the anti-Israel alt-right podcast world.

That all of a sudden it gives a little bit of validity to them more than they've had because you have President Trump. Essentially, not not agreeing with them because he he goes on and on and talks about how I'm the most popular person. Is we can move to Israel, become the prime minister myself if if it keeps getting bad in America. And but when you look at it just bare bones, what this is—it's election day. This was a move to win an election on a very Very particular issue, and one that we have been concerned about for a long time.

That's right, and I think we should hear from the President. This we'll play the longer version in the next segment, but this is kind of the meat of what was said this morning on Fox and Friends with Brian Kilmeade. This is bite seven.

Well, we understand we've cut off aid to Israel. We were giving them four billion, and you're no longer going to be giving them. We were giving them four billion. We are, but it gets cut off at the end of the year. Why?

Why? Because they don't need it, Brian. I mean, I asked them because they don't need it, and because why should we? Suffer the slings from lunatics like an El Sayad when they don't need it. And Logan, right there, I think is the concern that we both share: is that it's one thing to talk about the the need, and obviously Netanyahu himself will play that for everyone in the next segment, saying that he wants to work towards, as he called it, weaning off of U.S.

foreign aid. That is to the tune of it's actually three point eight is the precise number of of money that we. Give to Israel to buy U.S. weapons. That is how that operation works.

And at the same time, when it is made about. As he says, lunatics like El Sayed. You also have to think it's a win for the El Sayeds as well as the Tuckers rhetorically, because they they move the goalposts now. And I think some real tough questions need to be asked of people that support the the likes of El Sayed or the Tucker Carlson's that will use this as proof that they were right. And I think that we will go into that as well.

Some of the real tough questions. That need to be asked of these people that have, for so long, said no. It's just about the economy. It's just about Israel. It's not about the Jewish people.

Yeah, and look, Netanyahu has not made a statement. As far as when we were doing this live right now, we'll be monitoring for that. Of course, again, he has been calling for this, but he's been calling for this phased out a long term. This is a very knee-jerk feeling reaction, of course. But we're going to discuss that.

And look, we're going to have Jeff Balaban, MCLJ Jerusalem, who has been calling, by the way, for this end for a very, very long time. But I don't love the optics of it being on election day. And essentially handing it over as a a chip to say, well, now you don't have a reason not to vote. You know, Republican. I don't love that.

Phone lines are open for you, though. I'm happy to hear your thoughts. Keep it kind. Keep it courteous. One eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten to be on the air today.

Of course, it's our final moments in our Protect the Vote campaign. Be a part of it. Have your donation doubled at aclj. dot org. We'll be right back.

Welcome back to Sekulow. A lot of you are just tuning in right now. Jordan's now in studio, and again, Jeff Balaban from ACLJ Jerusalem is going to be joining us. It is election day, and of course, they all the eyes are on a lot of very specific states. We'll cover tomorrow the results, if we have them.

We'll see. You know, you never know with these elections how long things can go. But of course, President Trump this morning, for those just tuning in, made a statement on Fox and Friends. We'll play it in full here.

So again, I want to give full clarity. Full context. We're also going to flashback to Benjamin Netanyahu calling for something like this just a few months ago. Again, I want to play it fair. Calling, saying today on election day.

Again, I think that's the big thing. A lot of you in the comments saying, "Why not wait till tomorrow?" If this wasn't a move to try to get some last-second votes here, he's saying we are ending our foreign aid to Israel again, roughly around four billion dollars. There was a lot cut already in the past. This was the remaining aid, primarily military aid, that would be the ones we talk about. That where we we'd send over this aid, and that aid would come right back to the U.S.

because they'd be purchasing weapons.

So it was kind of a, it was kind of aid. Yes, we're giving you this to buy this. It was from us.

So it was a, it was kind of returning the money. Yeah.

So I mean, I think there's ways of explaining this to the American people. The truth is. On election day at six a.m., calling into Fox and Friends with a statement without anything prepared—that clearly they told Fox asked about this because yeah, because Brian Kilmeade leads with hey, they're kind of saying this is happening. Can you tell us like yeah, like that was clearly the point. Yeah, was to come in and make call of why he called.

So I think we should hear from President Trump again. I want to be completely fair. Here is President Trump. This is the longer, but it's about fifty-eight seconds. Again, you'll hear a conversation between Brian Kilmeade and President Trump.

This is this morning. Yeah, and again, this was after he had just went on this kind of longer spiel about how he's so ninety-nine percent approval in Israel. He could go there and be prime minister tomorrow. And then kind of hit you with this moment again, saying that it's going to wrap up. I think one of the big things also is, and there's no clarity in this yet, saying it's going to wrap up by the end of the year.

I mean, that's eight weeks away. There is some talk that maybe he misspoke a little bit. Maybe it's the end of next year, but we don't have clarity on that. But here's President Trump just a few hours ago on Fox and Friends. Mr.

President, I just want to clarify something you said earlier. When it comes to Israel aid, is we understand we've cutting off aid to Israel. We were giving them four billion, and you're no longer going to be giving them four billion dollars. We are giving them four billion. We are, but it gets cut off at the end of the year.

Why? Why? Because they don't need it, Brian. I mean, I asked them because they don't need it, and because why should we suffer the slings from? Lunatics like in El Sayad when they don't need it, it's a bad, it's a bad talking point because we say why don't we give everybody four billion dollars?

Israel's our number one, we give them more than anybody else, and they no longer need it. We've been doing it for years. I've been doing it, but Israel is a very thriving country. They don't need it. If they did need it, I would say keep it going.

But Bibi Netanyahu, we we reached an agreement on that. And can I be honest with you? He brought it up. He brought it up. He said.

I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid.

Now, again, waiting a little bit on clarity from Benjamin Netanyahu. I have two points to that. One, we do know that's a discussion because we can play it from Benjamin Netanyahu just three months ago. Two, we've seen disagreements between how the U.S. military and the Israeli military has wanted to handle Iran.

Though we've been working together on it, the U.S. kind of gets to make the final call on most decisions.

So that—that's you know kind of part one to that. Say part two to it is, I think Israel may be looking long term at U.S. politics down the road and seeing both those on the right and the left. For sure, happens tonight. For sure, Benjamin Netanyahu wants the Republicans to win.

Right for the future of Israel. Period.

So, is it Republicans that are supporting foreign that are supporting Israel, or is it the Republicans who are leaning more towards the JD Vance side of it? And I don't want to say that he's totally against any kind of support to Israel all at any time. And and President Trump did say at any moment if they needed it. We get it to them, so I mean it was more couched, I guess. When you heard, I just don't love doing this to a lot of our people that we work with—senators and members of Congress—and those who are not who are running for the first time, who are not elected, who are got.

You know, this is election day. And there will be reporters trying to get comments from them as well to affect voter turnout towards the afternoon and end of the day.

Well, and to that point as well, Jordan, you're seeing reports from Israel that even the the Ministry of Finance and other things, and ambassadors and journalists, it's in very bad. Let's just be honest, right?

Well, one putting Republican politicians in a horrible position, Mr. President.

Well, as well, could have waited 24 hours. And when you look at In Israel, they're saying they had no idea, and which is concerning as well as your point that it it puts a lot of people that are in tight races are going to be asked about that this afternoon. While people are standing in line, they're saying, "What do you feel about the President's announcement?" And they have no policy or statement prepared at that point because of catching off guard. But I think also to this point as well of all the individuals that now here's where you have to push back. Right, you have to push back against the El Sayeds and.

You have to push back against the Tucker Carlson's and the Hassan Pikers that are anti-Semitic. That all the rhetoric that they deal in is anti-Semitic. Is now that this three point eight billion is going away? Are they going to be calling for the end of? And this is just the other top members of the top ten receiving a foreign aid: thirteen point two billion that goes to Ukraine, Jordan, Ethiopia, DRC, Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda.

Are they going to be running ads saying that you can't afford to feed your family or buy eggs because you're giving money to Nigeria? No, that would come across as racist. Why? Because It probably would be if they were peddling in that kind of rhetoric, saying that you can't feed your family because of the almost a billion dollars that goes to Nigeria. That is the problem, and that is what now, regardless what has happened this morning, because the President did this, and we can talk about the timing.

But we have to also use this moment to point out that those that only complain about the aid to Israel are doing it because they hate Jews. That is the Reality of the situation that they are not pinpointing every single other country that receives foreign aid. Because that isn't their agenda. Their agenda is anti-Israel, anti-Jewish. If anything, I've heard complaints about the cuts to foreign aid and all the things we've heard.

Precisely on many of other countries. You know, of course, you remember the USAID, all the different things that have happened, and all of those complaints. And I'm not saying some of those. If you were on those sides, would not be a warranted disagreement. You may have a problem with some of social programs getting cut or international aid being cut.

I've never really been a big advocate on. Here, saying that we should be making those major cuts. I do think there is part of being a world leader and being the you know essentially the world superpower that you do. Want to help, and you do want some influence in these countries. And what you don't really want is to take Israel, that is already, you know, again, a lot of election issues there too, teetering, you know, because they've dealt with their own issues clearly over the last handful of years, and Netanyahu has dealt with his own issues over the last decades.

So I want you to hear though, because I told you I would from Benjamin Netanyahu. This is back in May. This was with Major Garrett. He sat down with them, and they asked about the financial relationship. Between the United States and Israel, so you can see in this clip that this has been a discussion point, but the the the final date of it is really much much different than what President Trump presented this morning.

Take a look. Do you believe it's time for the state of Israel to reexamine and possibly reset its financial relationship to the United States? Meaning, what the United States provides to Israel. On an annual basis, absolutely. And I've said this to President Trump.

I've said it to our own people. Their jaws drop. But I said, "Look, what do you mean? What are you saying? I want to draw down to zero the American financial support, the financial component of the military cooperation that we have, because we receive we receive three point eight billion dollars a year." And I, I think that it's time that we wean ourselves from the remaining military support.

Can you give me a timetable? I said, let's start now, and do it over the next decade, over the next ten years. But I want to start now. I don't want to wait for the next Congress. I want to start now.

So he said he wanted to start now, but this is back in May. And what he called was for a ten-year plan to wean off. And what President Trump announced is, and it pretty much immediate. Yeah.

And there is there is questions that remain because the the next year, there's a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Israel. There is concern that next year is already appropriated.

So can the President unilaterally decide to not?

So was this some sort of political move? It is something we need more clarity as well, though. If he meant by the end of next year. Because this year's already over, next fiscal year, etc. And as when he said this is at the end of the year, is that when the clock starts on the weeding?

Like, is that the weeding? I know that, but we this is a President who's calling him by cell phone into shows at six a.m.

Well, they did ask, what did it? To paraphrase, they asked, what do you mean by this? And he kind of, yeah, didn't sound like he fully. Could explain it right.

So he could announce by the end of the year that we're going to start the this program and this is how it's going to look, and not then violate any of the. His team can look at all the laws, all the M O Us, and then do exactly what Netanyahu said.

So that's why I think you have to be careful about the bigger judgment of this shed, but on politics. Probably not helpful on a day where he is not on the ballot, and a lot of people are. Who reporters, especially in the high-profile races, are going to try and get on the record today. And let me tell you something. I mean, you're hearing it from us.

I mean, they're going to have to say something or ignore the question. Yeah.

And look, it is election day in America, and it is the last day of our Protect the Vote drive. Right now, be a part of it today. Have your donations doubled. We stand to protect you and protect your. Your right to vote in all states across the country, and of course federally as well.

Again, when your rights are attacked, the ACLU is there. Support the vote, protect the vote. Work right now. Have your gift doubled at ACLU. dot org.

A little bit later, we'll be joined by Jeff Alibon from ACLU Jerusalem. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Sekulow. We do some phone lines open. Look, I see a lot of people heated on both sides here.

I mean, I think a lot of you agree with us, but there's a lot of people who have their other thoughts. I want you to call in. I understand that one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten, and let's talk about also you know not just Israel, because again, that was the breaking news this morning. But it is the first polls close, and we're doing this live. About five hours and forty minutes from right now is when the polls close, and we'll begin to close.

And again. You'll be able to chat us tomorrow, as we'll give you full coverage of all that went down, and I'm sure. When some things probably will not be known by even tomorrow, if any of the last few elections are any indication.

So we'll continue to cover. That's why we don't do election night coverage anymore. Because why do it? It's why we also have aclj.org/election hotline. We and the reason why we have that is because we want to make sure that that you've got a place to go if you think there's a problem.

It needs to come from you directly.

So if you if you've had a problem voting or you're Seeing problems at your voting locations today? One, you can give us a call on the show. Like, did you vote today? One eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. I'd like to hear about your experience, especially if you're in one of these battlegrounds that are really going to be, you know, the ten or so Senate races that determine whether Republicans maintain control of the U.S.

Senate or not. And and how was that experience? But if you have an experience that is difficult, or you feel like the the Rules are not being followed. We have attorneys monitoring this all day through the evening because we know again where we are voting. You know, is is over?

Was it seven? Is it seven o'clock Central Time? I believe seven o'clock because we have split time zones. Yes, yeah, they get to go till a little bit later, eight o'clock on the Eastern time zone. Yes, and so again, but in other places it's earlier.

Some places, you know, it can go much later because the lines can be long. Always remind people if. If you are in line before the polls are closed, you are able to vote.

So, if you get in line five minutes before the polls are supposed to close, you are able to cast your vote. They are supposed to stay open. If they try to close, we've we've been involved in those kind of legal actions before.

So, all of that again. Let people know, let your local politicians know as well if they need assistance. ACLJ dot org slash election hotline. Lord knows we we've helped in a lot of these matters and we can do it very quickly. We've got attorneys who are experts in this.

That's right. You want to take a phone call? Yeah, let's go ahead and go to a lot of people calling in about this, and I understand. Let's. We got a couple of different places.

We're on Central Time, so it was five thirty ish AM when I saw this. My phone. I'm like, please, by in the next three hours, give me some context. By the time you guys were contacting me about it, we still hadn't. Yeah, it was.

I didn't see it till I saw. We still really haven't. Little later. Yeah.

Yeah.

Exactly. There still hasn't really been that much of a formal response, other than it just you know kind of becoming a headline. Let's go to Jerry in Rhode Island, longtime caller. Jerry, go ahead. How you doing?

If I was sitting with you or Will, and we were over a coffee or a drink, at the end of the discussion on the optics and the timing, I would say, Logan, do we still trust the man we elected President and his team exposed to all the information? My answer is yes. I still that man trust that man we voted for. I mean, I understand that Jerry, and I don't necessarily disagree with it, but that doesn't mean you have to also unilaterally decide that every decision that a President makes over eight years political that you have to agree with. Yeah.

It doesn't mean that again, Benjamin, you called for this timeline is very different, and what I don't like is the political strategy of doing it today. I think that it's okay to say, "Do you trust the cabinet?" Sure, but you also don't have to just have blind trust at that point. I think let's let's be honest to to the people out there. To the voters, President Trump may be more than any other person in this whole election. Even candidates who may lose tonight or win tonight.

Could have the most to lose, and that's because if both the House and the Senate did flip, this is not going to be a pleasant final two years in office. It's it's going to be investigations, potentially impeachment, trying to take down his business empire that he's built over time for his family and and that really they're running now. But you know, a very nasty final couple of years, and so I think some of this is knee jerk reaction, Logan. That could be totally. Changed by the end of this week or next week.

So I don't want anyone. And the message to politicians too is, if if no one is asking you about it. Probably I wouldn't bring it up.

Well, and I think to that point, like you're not giving speeches today. All you're doing is going around and shaking people's hands. Yeah, going to the polls at most. You know, and statewide candidates are are doing only a handful of that.

So I'd say don't get involved in the discussion unless you feel like you have to. And and the only folks that maybe have to are in these states where you've got candidates who are going to jump on it on the left really hard.

Well, in to Jerry's question, I said, do we still press the trust? The President or not, that isn't really the question about this. Is specifically if they needed it at any moment, he'd get the money right back to him.

Well, and once again, also we're also looking long term. This is something that we've had to fight for a very long time. Of even just the the support of Israel in this country, that what it concerns us is that it is a rhetorical win for give an inch for Hassan, take a mile for Tucker Carlson for. El Sayed for all of the DSA candidates that have made that front and center, them chanting from the river to the sea in New York City. It's now a moved goalpost of saying now they're going to be like, well, we don't fund them anymore, we shouldn't support them or cooperate them militarily.

So it shifts where the argument is, and it supercharges the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement in some ways in the future of them saying, look, we got. That now let's continue to break down through lawfare the support of Israel in this country through private companies, and that's a concern that we have. Sure, I also think that it's it's a little bizarre because. We got rid of the Thomas Massies, the Marjorie Taylor Greaves with the Israeli lasers and all this. And they're gloating today, by the way.

Yes, I know, but they lost because President Trump came against them hard with primary opponents, or they knew they were going to lose and just resigned. And so again, is this a President just trying to play politics? That's what Presidents do on election day. I mean, this is this is a political day. Do I love it on on election day?

Surprises like this, not usually. I do think we'll see. You know, we're very tapped into this issue. Most voters who have waited didn't vote early. Who are going to vote today are voting on the economy and the candidates they like more in their state.

So I don't know how much this will actually weigh on them unless it gets candidates in there. Having to issue statements that start confusing people.

Well, and to that point as well, Ching Wigger, who is the one from Young Turks who is behind all of the ad, who is Hassan Piker's uncle, is saying it doesn't go far enough already. That's the ad that was saying you can't afford the eggs because the seven dollars have to kill Palestinian. Because I am assuming what he's wanting is that we no longer support Israel. This is his statement. The genocide state.

The very beginnings that have you ever seen a political ad work? This well that the leader of the opposing party crumbles on election day and gives you what you wanted, cutting money to Israel, rebellion stands or sends its regards. I mean, look, and then it goes on a lot of other language and things. Of course, he says this is the smokescreen, this is not real. Those are things, but think about that.

One of your top opponents in terms of the media world—you just gave them just just a political ad, yeah. That's exactly what I'm afraid of. Which everyone has agreed on. That ad was anti-Semitic. That ad actually clearly worked.

Yeah, but interesting enough, that ad also hurt El Saeed. Yeah, it is why his race became back so much in attention in Michigan was because the numbers started getting so much closer. We're gonna discuss this, and we're actually gonna dive a little bit deeper into the election side of this coming up in the next segment. Then Jeff Ballaban is gonna be coming on from ACLJ Jerusalem, and then we're gonna go back. We got lots of phone calls coming in about election day.

I want to keep taking those one eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. That's one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten to have your voice heard today on the air. Again, it's our last. Day of our Protect the Vote campaign. Be a part of it.

We support election integrity all year long, and we have a lot going on that goes well beyond Election Day. But today, we'll wrap up our campaign on this. We stand ready to protect you and your right to vote. The ACLU. Support our campaign right now at aclj.org, and have your donation doubled.

We'll be right back. Keeping you informed and engaged now more than ever. This is Sekulow, and now your host Logan Sekulow. Election Day in America once again. The midterms are here, means your cell phones will stop getting those text messages.

Maybe tonight around midnight. Maybe if you're lucky, you know. Who knows though? And of course, then that means tomorrow kicks off. The run for President, the presidency of twenty twenty eight, and of course we are dealing with the controversy this morning.

President Trump making the announcement that aid to Israel will end by the end of this year, cutting three point eight billion dollars. And again, a lot of the details haven't come out, but he made that statement on Fox and Friends this morning. Said there was a discussion that he had, the Benjamin Netanyahu had brought up many times. Of course, we know Benjamin Netanyahu has talked about weaning off of American aid, but his version of it was about a ten year plan. This looks like it's a a few month plan, and specifically.

Engaged with the fact that this is a political talking point, he feels like is not worth it anymore. Saying, you know, I don't want to give the slings to El Sayed and people like that. They're radicals. To have this as something that they can go after us on when Israel doesn't need it, that obviously is a big issue. When you have even the creators of the ads, like the Young Turks, putting out statements essentially saying, "Have you ever seen an ad work this well?" You know, the President essentially crumbled on election day to try to respond to this.

It is a bit of a concern. We're talking about the timing here. Not really concerned that much about the pledge to end the funding, as it would be a significant amount of time. Typically, is what they thought, but the fact that it Was eight weeks from now. I mean, you could have announced this tomorrow.

You could announce this weeks ago. You did it on election day, and I think that that shows a little bit of concern going into tonight. That really anything they can do to get votes is going to be necessary in this moment. And we can talk about that as we have seen the polls rapidly change in some of these big swing votes, swing states, I guess, swing. Swing states, swing states, swing states, swing elections, campaigns, districts.

You know what I am saying? Depends on which you are talking about when he's talking about Senate elections, et cetera. Yeah, I think the polling has always been an issue with this entire election because of the outliers you see, then all the fake polling that we've had to deal with. But then you get things like this, which was not, I don't think, in anyone's bingo card, including the Israelis, as we're seeing reports out of Israel that. This is from Times of Israel.

This is new in the last few minutes. No formal document was submitted from the Prime Minister's Office regarding the end of USA to Israel, and that comes from the Israeli Finance Minister. And then, as well, we have things that the Israelis, even in the Prime Minister's Office, were not even aware that this was a discussion that could be coming soon. They had not planned on releasing an announcement like this.

So that's all the reporting coming out. Of Israel, out of sources that I trust with this, so it definitely is a surprise to the world. The questions linger whether it's this year and next year. Yeah, or if it's he's thinking of fiscal year, so we're already looking at next year. By the end of that year, there's a lot of questions that remain.

It did seem that it came out of the blue, and the big question for everyone, as we see that even young turks are taking credit that their ad that literally said, "I can't buy seven dollar eggs because I have to send that money to kill Palestinian children." That was the ad. The implication is that the aid to Israel is what is. Destroying your economy and your pocketbook. Not all the other foreign aid. Not a single thing about the double the aid.

I mean, light years. That's just military aid that is on that list that is appropriated. But then you think of the hundreds of billions given to Ukraine. That's not.

Something that's even brought up, whether or not it should be, is a completely different discussion, though. Look, in one minute, we're going to go to break, and I want you to know that we are going to still focus here on the election. But in the next segment, I think it was important for us to reach out to the head of ACLJ Jerusalem, who, by the way, Jeff, who you've heard on this show every week for years and years and years, he has been calling for the end of this sort of military aid or aid in general to from the U.S. financially to Israel. He's been calling on it for a very long time.

Now again, I'm not sure what he's going to say about this. I don't have his definitive thoughts. I thought it's important for someone who spends his time a large portion of his time in Israel and has been calling on this to have his thoughts on the air as well. It may be a little bit different than ours. Phone lines are open for you though, and we are going to take as many calls we can related to this and related to the election in general, election night in America.

Be a part of it today. One eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. That's one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. Because it is election day. We first talked about our protective vote campaign over the last week.

Today's it. It's the final moments to help us defend election integrity. We got teams on it right now, and of course, we keep it going all year long to make sure that you are ready and your right to vote is protected. aclj.org. Have your gift doubled.

We're right back with Jeff Albon. Welcome back to Sekulow. Just a moment, we'll be joined by Jeff Balaban from ACLJ Jerusalem. We do have phone lines open for you, and I want to take calls in the next segment specifically about this moment, President Trump this morning, and of course about the election in general, as it is a big day. Yeah, absolutely.

Though maybe decided not to early vote, you got in there today. I saw a lot of my friends voting today. Getting a long line, so hopefully that's a good sign. Phone lines are open for you at one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. We have Jeff.

Let's make sure we're good. Before all right, Jeff is joining us now. Jeff, obviously we're all reacting to the call this morning President Trump made into Fox and Friends, and now saying the end of aid to Israel financially. I know this is something that you have been talking about actually for a number of years. And maybe something that we have differing opinions on, but President Trump made this today.

I mean, our concern has been more about the timing of this. That not only them saying that it's going to be by the end of this year, as we know that someone like Bibi Netanyahu, who has called for this to be a long-term, ten-year kind of plan, but also that it's on election day in America, and when Israel is really in the crosshairs for a lot of these campaigns. Yeah, look. There's two ways to look at this. There's a half full and there's a half empty, and the truth is the mixture of both.

On the one hand, yes, I've I've been opposed to the way American aid goes to Israel, the way it's structured for decades. Since I worked on Capitol Hill, I think that it's it's calculated to it's it's created and calculated in a way that that helps some domestic lobbying groups pitch their value. But in terms of Israel's own value, it creates a very it creates a it's a very bad. Dynamic. It's as though Israel is begging for alms, as opposed to actually working hand in hand with America to create great new arms for both countries.

And the fact is that that the money flows back to America anyway. It shouldn't be structured as foreign aid. Frankly, some of it should come out of defense authorization on its own merits. When, when it deserves to, and more importantly, Israel realized now that it can't really be this reliant, and this is not a new thing. Netanyahu, when he was prime minister, already in nineteen ninety six, thirty years ago, more than thirty years ago, I think it was a summer, he came to a joint session of Congress, he addressed them, and he said he wants to wean Israel off of American foreign aid.

I mean, it's been decades that Israel's that Israel's wanted to do this, and it was more the the input of domestic American groups. That wanted to focus on this because it was good for them, and it has not been good for Israel. That said, I agree with your analysis that the timing of this is awkward because it clearly looks as though it's arriving not just from pressure on the far left, but also on the far right. That that that does create Israel, you know, this image of something between either manipulating America and or being weak. And not worthy of America.

Both narratives were terrible. I think it's a short-term hit to the narrative, but long-term, a much better situation in terms of Israel and America as allies and partners.

Well, and I think one, Jeff, even his statement of saying that, you know, why should we suffer the slings from lunatics like El Sayed? I think. That once again, he's giving them credit for this move.

So you start to see those that have have pushed the the tropes through their entire campaign that have shown their true colors are able to, in some way. Take a victory lap. I think it moves the narrative for the BDS movement into a different hyperdrive of what they can accomplish, and that's my concern. Is not necessarily even the money itself. We've talked about many times.

You know, the libertarians, if they were true to their word, they would be calling out every single aid with as much fervor as they have against Israel, but they don't because we know what's happening.

So. One, it is a time that we, as an organization, can call their bluff and say, "All right, now, now do another country, now go on to the next one." If that is truly what you believe, and it's not anti-Semitism, but I think we also have to be very careful about how we approach this because they are going to take it as a win to some degree that they were able to move the hand of the President of the United States, and on election day, he made this what this election is about. It's unfortunate. It's unfortunate, and and and he did it. He he he mentions, you know, the Al Sayed part of it, but as you pointed out, also, listen, there are people who are running as Republicans who are specifically in this midterm more than ever before.

Who are also using this as Republicans to make arguments that that America is giving aid to Israel in a way that's to one side and isn't in America's interest. It's quite the contrary. I know I've had some pieces out lately that we've we've spoken about and more about what it is America has been getting in this war with Iran, which is to say there has been a an actual threat to domestic homeland far greater than to Israel's homeland. Israel, America's had weapons that they had in development for like fifteen or twenty. Years, but they had no way to deliver it because they couldn't figure out how to break through Iran's air defenses.

Israel risked all, broke through Iran's air defenses, and America essentially—I mean, I don't want to diminish and say strolled in—but when America flew in, the chairman of our joint chief of staff said the next morning, "No Iranian response. There was no air force to come and meet them. Israel has crippled the air defenses, so we." We, our country was was helped delivering a bomb that we had to to wipe out Israel's nuclear ambitions. I'm sorry, Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Now, for that we worked on since 2008 or 2009, could not deliver it, but for Israel, that's the kind of partnership this to be.

So we need to reframe this, and hopefully through what we do on air, but also hopefully if the elections don't go too poorly, we will have people in Capitol Hill now reframing exactly what the relationship is with Israel, which is they are our partner. They are not beggars. Jeff, that is kind of again the long term. I think we all understood that. I mean, we were talking about this before the show.

I mean, this this kind of money, this three point eight four billion dollars, which ultimately went right back to the United States, anyways.

So it wasn't like just sitting in the bank in Israel to utilize if they needed it. This was really just a way to again finance payments to buy U.S. armaments in a subsidy of our industry, a subsidy of our industry. And listen, I mean, there there are a lot of individual Israelis because it's been a successful country that could write a check like this. I mean, seriously, I mean, there are there are billionaires in Israel that that could do this if necessary.

So I don't think it's the number amount. I think what what put us all off. On it was timing. It's election day in the United States of America, and you've had this one message from the President, pretty strong throughout the entire campaign, and then what sounds like some kind of political try and shift. And listen, he plays fast and loose when it comes to politics.

He goes by instinct. He doesn't test it. He's not someone who said, "I'm going to spend two weeks. Should I do this or not?" On Fox and Friends this morning, he's someone who said, "You know what? I'm reading this.

That tonight, I'm going to say this. It's you know in three." Hours and see how it goes, and see if it can help some of these candidates. And and I think you know it's a political play. We'll know if it had impact at all. We don't know if it will have any impact, Jeff, on the actual election outcome.

But what I do believe it'll have outcome on is in Congress. There will be those who are Israel's kind of biggest enemies in Congress. Will be using this statement regardless. No question, Jordan. I couldn't agree more.

That the the framing of this is at best very unfortunate. The timing of it, the way it was framed, I agree that the President. It's not that. Yeah, I don't fast and lose, but he he's off the cuff for sure. Yeah, and I think that's that's fair.

And and maybe it wasn't. Ideal, but I don't know that to be any way to announce this without it without coming as as a blow. Without weeks of it, and it would have been nice to have weeks of of framing and and setup. Still, you know, the enemies of Israel on both sides would still claim victory. But yes, I think this this this this might have been done better in terms of messaging.

But but in the long run, yes, I think we are probably in agreement that it's secretary right now. He so he's kind of his own press secretary, and I think you know fast. That might have been too strong, but he's. I mean, I've been with him a lot on issues where it's very careful issues. How you want to carry it is instinctual.

And a lot of times, his instincts are right politically. I mean, this is someone who he came back after you know this bizarre twenty twenty election, got himself reelected President again.

Now he's facing what everyone's telling him is this big blue wave. But we've also heard about big red waves that didn't crash either. That turned kind of murky, I'd say, and and that could happen tonight as well. I think again, if this was something planned. We wouldn't be talking.

We wouldn't even be talking about that on election day. We wouldn't be talking about no. But of course, it's our number one story. No, I agree. Yeah, I agree with that.

I think, I think the timing is is is is is very suboptimal. Let's put it that way. But I get, yeah, I guess we do all agree on the on the ultimate where this goes ultimately. And I think it's helpful ultimately. But yes, it would have been nicer if it had not happened in the way it happened.

Yeah, Jeff. Because it definitely seems like a political moment here, and again, I don't think we want any way for Israel again to be drudge into something else that is just politically one-sided or not. Especially over the last few years. I mean, it's it's been a lot. But Jeff, thank you for joining us.

I know you weren't planning on being on today, but to come on here, this is why I think it's important though to have your point of view and ACLJ Jerusalem as well, because we can kind of break this down a little bit more. Sure, pleasure to be here. All right, thank you so much. Hey, that being said, we're going to take calls the next segment, not just related to this, but election day in America in general. We do want to hear from you.

We got two lines open right now. Open up though, as we go on. One eight hundred six eight four three one one zero, but one eight hundred six eight four thirty one ten. Enjoy, maybe you can. We got about a minute left.

We're talking about it is protect the vote, the election integrity team, kind of if you will, the ACLU. What does that even look like?

So our team is we we monitor. It's called aclj.org. Election hotline, and sometimes we get calls directly from campaigns about you know or or parties because of judges trying to keep voting lines, you know, voting open in some areas that are heavily Democrat, while they're closed in areas that are that are heavily Republican, and and why? And so you know, looking at those and filing quickly in court and working with attorneys we have across the country.

So again, utilize that hotline, ACLU. j. org slash election hotline. I mean, I told people this week we're asking about my availability towards the end of the week. I said I have no idea because tonight we could be filing cases, in the morning we could be filing cases, or it could be fairly smooth.

Doesn't mean we won everything, but it could be smooth. We don't know, but that's why we're ready to go if we need to be there. Welcome back to Sekulow. Full bank of calls right now, and it's something we've been holding for a long time.

So, I just want to jump in. Let's go to Deb in Ohio. Deb, go ahead. Hi, thanks for taking my call. I was really shocked about President Trump's statement today, and I know that there are a lot of ramifications, but I'm going to look at it from a biblical standpoint.

In that. God says that He will bless those who bless Israel, and we need to make sure that we are still there for Israel and continue to to bless them, so that God in turn will bless our nation.

Well, Deb, I appreciate your calling, and certainly from a different perspective than even we've been covering today. Of course, the long-term biblical perspective of Israel in its existence over time, and I appreciate that comment very much. I think a lot of us felt very similarly felt felt that kind of pit in the stomach moment. I was kind of hoping I was reading the announcement incorrectly, and again, we still don't have full clarity, but the clarity is there. The President Trump called in Fox and Friends and said aid to Israel is over.

He, of course, claims that Benjamin. Yahoo also on board for this, but again, it is that sort of moment of of reckoning, I guess, that's happening right now, and another blow to those of us on the Israeli side. Let's go ahead and continue on there, Deb. Thank you for calling, because we have another call coming in. It's kind of the opposite point of view, which is totally fine.

Susan in Maryland has been on for a while too. Susan, go ahead. Hey, we just lost about two callers, so the phone lines are open. One eight hundred six eight four three one one zero. We'd love to talk election day too.

So one eight hundred six eight four Thirty-one ten, but Susan, go ahead. I don't know the motives behind Trump making this announcement today. I do think it was significant that Netanyahu appreciated the clip you showed on Netanyahu making the recommendation to cut this funding, so it's no longer controversial. I will say, Trump is probably trying to sway the Muslim vote. That most of them probably going to the polls don't necessarily want jihad, but they do want to think that there is some advantage to their vote, and that's going to have to be examined after the election.

Well, and Susan, I think. I think the concern here too is yeah I think you're you're spot on with kind of that thought process of of it being an election day move and that's kind of why it was kind of the gut punch that we saw this morning that like wait what did he say on election day but here's also kind of the problem with it with the strategic initiative here that happened is that the the individuals were able to run their entire campaigns against this and get months of Early voting banked on this. If this was the the play, then why wasn't it done months ago to take that off the table, to take that messaging off the table? At this point, does that Engage a a Trump voter, a Republican voter, to say that wasn't going to go to the polls today to go to the polls. That all of a sudden they have this announcement.

I don't think so, and I don't think that there are people who were already going to vote for an El Sayed who who has made this such a fixture of his campaign. That's going to go. Oh well, now that that's not an issue, I'm going to vote for Mike Rogers. That's why it's so mind boggling. That today it feels like a hail mary attempt because it doesn't really play out strategically the way that you think it would.

No, this is this is not like announcing some giant tax cut for everyone or we've got this economic boom coming. To be again, it's it's a style that we've seen from President Trump.

Sometimes it's worked, sometimes it hasn't. It might not have any impact on the election. It might have some impact on some elections, depending on reporters' abilities to get anybody on the record on this, and and whether or not voters actually do care. Like you said, whether they gonna are they gonna care if they're on the right side or on the left side about this, about who they're voting for in their states. They're not voting for President Trump.

They're voting for senators and members of Congress who they, and then and then state races as well, and people that they've actually they're able to get a lot closer to. Because midterm voters, usually much more engaged voters, they'll see that this happened today, and if candidates do need have to do start talking about it, they will see that as well. Especially as those law those lines get longer, sometimes in midterm elections, because there's not as many voting locations as there are in general elections usually. Yeah, that gives another reason and another topic point for people to either have to agree or disagree with President Trump, and one that's very controversial.

So let's continue on. Let's go to Celia, who's calling in California. Watch on Salem News. Go ahead. Hi, gentlemen.

Thank you for this unbelievable call. This unbelievable program. Thank you today.

So you're welcome, big supporter. As a daughter of Holocaust survivors and an absolute proponent of Israel and the Jewish people, certainly America, true-blooded American California girl, I will say that I'm not worried about Israel because they are strong. The Jewish people are strong, and no one's going to mess with a with us anymore. Not since the Holocaust. Not for a few generations, at least.

However, you can look at your history from time immemorial. Right, Deb said it right. Those who bless the Jews are blessed.

However, I am concerned for America. We all are. The turn of events in this country, the extreme maniacs on both sides of the aisle, the fact that they can have a voice. You've already analyzed it well. The one thing I want to add.

For those on the fence, the naysayers, those who question, those, you know, longtime Democrats who couldn't vote for anyone with an R, I agree with your analysis because that is the concern today. And for those that are listening, that are naysayers and on the fence, go visit Israel or learn the facts. I have a cousin who represents thousands upon thousands of Israelis. Hey, go there. Yeah, Celia.

I'm only cutting you off because we have two minutes left. We obviously encourage that. We've taken groups. We'd love to do that again when things settle down a little bit. But thank you for calling and and for your thoughts.

I wanted to make sure we got to just at least one more caller today because you know I think we're again we're trying to balance it out a little bit. Let's go to Jones real quick in Georgia. Jones, go ahead. Yeah.

Hey, how are you? Good, man. We got like one minute.

Okay. Yeah, I just turned the I turned the show on, and I just heard about the announcement. What I want to say real quick is I've I've told a lot of people this. I've observed a lot of things closely since. Hey, Jim Jones, running out of time.

Go ahead. Trump is is very brilliant in my opinion. He's deliberate and calculated, and I just don't. I think he knows what he's doing. I think he's a lot of intelligence.

A lot of good advice. I think. Well, no, he's way ahead of a lot. This decision, we're going to know right within twenty-four hours till close. I will tell you all this.

What I'm kind of, if you're looking tonight at like time, check it. Eleven o'clock Eastern Time. If things are not going well for Republicans, that that can give you some signs. Even if we're not necessarily losing races, but races that we're winning or we're barely winning that we should have been winning by ten plus points, that tells you something. Most analysts think by two, three in the morning.

That's Eastern time, so if you're in Central time or West Coast time, you you could see it before even it's really late at night. That we'll have a good sense of did the House definitely go Democrat, and by How many votes, and is the Senate on path to going Democrat? I don't think we're going to 100 be able to say it did and by this many, or it's going to remain Republican. It's going to be by this many. What I'm feeling right now, I'll say it is that I think it's very tough in the House, but you know people are voting right now, so no one's been elected yet, and any party can win.

And in the Senate, I think if things just move our way a one or two percent, I think Republicans. Can maintain control of the U.S. Senate because of that 51st vote that JD Vance can provide, and that's going to do it. Look, it's Election Day. Be a part of the final moments in our Protect the Vote campaign right now.

Have your gifts doubled at ACLJ.org. We need your financial support. Can you do in this show and to protect your vote across the country? We're back with full coverage tomorrow. Don't go anywhere.

Be back.