On the morning of Election Day, with polls opening across the United States for crucial midterm elections, President Donald Trump called into Fox & Friends to deliver his closing message. But alongside boasts about the economy and border security, he offered a rather unusual contingency plan for his political future.
“I’m at 99% approval rating in Israel. Can you believe it?” Trump said during the Tuesday morning phone interview. “In fact, if people ever got tired of me in the U.S., I’ll move to Israel and become prime minister. Think of it. I’m at 99, I have the highest approval rating of anybody in history.”
The remarks came during a broader discussion of U.S.-Israel relations. Trump used the moment to announce that the United States would be ending its annual $4 billion aid package to Israel after the end of the year, arguing that the Jewish state no longer needs the assistance.
He also touted his administration’s military actions against Iran, crediting those moves for his popularity abroad.
On this Election Day, the president is not fighting for approval in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. He is fighting for his political survival in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and a handful of other states where American voters are deciding whether to hand his party another two years of power or deliver a rebuke that would hand power to the Democrats and reshape the final stretch of his presidency.
The Closing Argument
Beyond the Israel remark, Trump’s Election Day message focused on familiar themes. He insisted that “inflation is resolved” and claimed credit for lowering oil prices, while asserting “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz.
He also highlighted his administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, telling Fox News that “when I arrived, the borders were open” and that many “criminals and murderers” had since been expelled.