US President Donald Trump revealed today (Tuesday) that he had reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that Washington would not continue providing funding to Israel after the end of this year, according to Reuters.
Trump said in an interview with the “Fox & Friends” program on the “Fox News” network: “With regard to paying money to Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I agreed to provide $4 billion annually to Israel, and we agreed months ago to stop that.”
He added: “We have already agreed that we will not pay any money to Israel by the end of this year. We will help Israel if it needs help.”
This comes as Americans cast their votes today in the midterm elections, which Democrats hope will enable them to seize control of Congress and impose the first tangible restrictions on Trump’s second term.
Republicans losing control of the House of Representatives would give Democrats the ability to disrupt Trump's legislative agenda and launch wide-ranging investigations into his administration. Their defeat in the Senate will undermine his ability to appoint Supreme Court judges and senior officials.
The entitlement amounts to a nationwide referendum on Trump, in light of increasing feelings of dissatisfaction with Republicans, against the backdrop of the rising costs of living and the Iran war.
A press report revealed that the leaders of the US Republican Party are preparing for the possibility of incurring major electoral losses in the midterm elections, and that they have already begun a “major battle” to exchange accusations over responsibility for the decline in the party’s chances, even before the results are announced.
According to the report published by the American website “Axios”, Republicans acknowledge in their private conversations that the main suspect in the possible decline of the party’s chances is “President Donald Trump” because of his decisions related to the war on Iran and tariffs.
The report indicates that Republican senators, who are seeking to retain their seats, are unlikely to criticize Trump publicly for fear of political repercussions, while departing members may be more willing to criticize him and his team.
On the other hand, Trump is not expected to bear responsibility for any loss. Rather, he may direct his criticism at Republican senators, whom he is accustomed to attacking publicly.
The irony of the second midterm elections during the Trump era is that although Republicans are deeply convinced that they will lose the House of Representatives, Trump can still claim victory if the party manages to maintain control of the Senate.
The report quoted a prominent Republican Party strategist as saying: “This is Donald Trump’s election. He takes full credit if we win, and bears full responsibility if we lose.”
The war with Iran and fuel prices are at the forefront of the accusations
The American war with Iran is at the forefront of the factors that Republicans hold responsible for the decline in the chances of their candidates, as Trump's decision to go to war led to an increase in gasoline and diesel prices, which turned into a clear electoral burden on the party's candidates.
In this context, the report quoted the Attorney General of the State of Texas, Ken Paxton, as saying, during a closed election fundraising event last September: “It is not about customs duties, but about the war and the prices of gasoline and diesel.”
Trump's trade policies also contributed to increasing pressure on Republicans, especially in agricultural areas, where producers faced rising costs and uncertainty about export markets.
Republican Senate candidate for Michigan, Mike Rogers, criticized the tariffs imposed on Canada, calling for an end to trade disputes. He said, in an election ad last October: “We must end this tariff war now.”
Controversial candidates and mistakes in running races
The reasons for Republican concern were not limited to the president's policies, as some strategists hold candidates chosen by Trump responsible for complicating a number of electoral races that were supposed to be easier for the party.
Ken Paxton in Texas and Senator Darlene Graham in South Carolina stand out in this context, as Republican campaigns were forced to spend large sums of money to defend seats that would have been safer if other candidates had been chosen.
Some Republican senators also faced criticism for what their colleagues described as arrogance and laziness, after seats that were considered guaranteed were transformed into heated battlefields in the last moments, including Roger Marshall in Kansas and Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi.
Concerns extended to the poor performance of some of the party's candidates for governor in Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio, amid fears that this would negatively impact Senate candidates. The popularity of Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy witnessed a sharp decline during the final weeks of the campaign.
Failures in selecting candidates and strong democratic competition
Among other factors that aroused Republican dissatisfaction was the party's failure to attract strong electoral figures in some states, as it was unable to convince Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to run in the Senate race, while in New Hampshire it was forced to choose John Sununu, the former senator, instead of his brother Chris Sununu, the former governor of the state.
On the other hand, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer succeeded in attracting prominent candidates in Alaska, Ohio, and Iowa, although the party faced greater difficulties in Michigan and Maine.
Huge financial resources... but they are too late
Although Trump and his allies have huge financial resources to support Republican candidates, some party members believe that the money arrived too late to save candidates in danger of losing.
Trump's focus on files far from livelihood issues, such as construction projects in Washington, D.C., and the Kennedy Center for the Arts, also aroused dissatisfaction with Republicans who hoped that the recent election messages would be directed toward the economy and the cost of living.
A Republican strategist criticized Trump's choice to hold a press conference in front of the reflecting pool of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on Monday, and considered that this was not the most appropriate choice for the closing message of the election campaign.
In light of these differences, the midterm elections appear to be a test not only of the Republicans’ ability to maintain their majority in Congress, but also of the party’s cohesion and its relationship with Trump, amid expectations that the results, whatever they may be, will turn into the beginning of an internal battle to determine who is responsible for the gains or losses.
Recent polls ahead of the midterm elections indicate a competitive race for the Michigan Senate seat; Democratic candidate Abdul Sayed is ahead of his Republican competitor, Mike Rogers.
Al-Sayed, a former public health official, led in all recent polls, with differences ranging from one point in the “Insider Advantage” poll to 11 points in the “New York Times” and “Sina” polls. Other polls showed his lead by a margin of between two and nine points, according to what the American newspaper Newsweek reported.
In the latest poll conducted by Poll Volt in cooperation with Emerson between October 31 and November 1, Al-Sayyed received 51 percent support, compared to 45 percent for Rogers. The Intel Atlas poll also showed Al-Sayed leading by 54 percent, compared to 46 percent for Rogers.
As for the “New York Times” and “Sina” poll, which was published (Sunday), it showed the largest difference between the candidates, at 53 percent for Mr. compared to 42 percent for Rogers. On the other hand, the “Insider Advantage” poll showed a slight lead for Al-Sayyid, by 47 percent compared to 46 percent, a difference that is within the margin of error.
The average opinion poll, published by the Real Clear Polling website, gives Al-Sayyed a lead of 5.3 percentage points, as of Tuesday morning. The forecasting platforms “PolyMarket” and “Calce” also show his probability of winning at about 81 percent.
But electoral forecasts appear more cautious; The Cook Political Report classifies the race as “slightly Democratic,” as does the Sabato Crystal Ball, while Inside Elections places it in the “Slight Democratic lean.”
Voters, whether in the state of Michigan or nationwide, go to the polls to determine the balance of power in Congress.
Michigan's importance in the Senate battle
The competition is gaining importance as Republicans have a majority of 53 seats compared to 47 for Democrats in the Senate, which requires Democrats to achieve a net gain of four seats to control it.
Al-Sayyed's victory is considered necessary to enhance the Democratic Party's chances of maintaining the state seat, in conjunction with his competition for other seats held by Republicans in the states of Maine, Iowa, North Carolina, and Ohio. As for Rogers' victory, it will strengthen the Republicans' position and make the Democrats' task more difficult.
Despite Al-Sayed's lead in the polls, the disparity of differences and the closeness of the results in some of them keep the chances of Rogers winning intact, without prior determination of the outcome of the race.
