President Trump Funds $3.8 Billion A Year On Average To Israel

During Donald Trump’s first presidential term (2017–2021), the United States government provided approximately $19 billion in military aid to Israel, averaging around $3.8 billion annually, primarily as Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants and missile defense funding under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Trump Funding For Israel 2016-2026

This taxpayer-funded aid, not personal donations from Trump, supported Israel’s qualitative military edge (QME) against regional threats from Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and others, enabling purchases of U.S.-made weapons, aircraft upgrades, and joint missile defense systems like Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow. In fiscal years 2017–2018, aid totaled roughly $3.88 billion (2017) and $3.89 billion (2018), with portions allocated to Israeli government entities and defense contractors (e.g., Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries for interceptors and batteries). Trump also announced an extra $75 million early in his term for missile defense programs.

Trump’s personal donations to Israeli causes were minimal: the Trump Foundation gave $350 to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) in 2011, and he pledged (but did not fulfill) around $250,000 to FIDF in 2007 (paid by another donor); a small $10,000 donation went to West Bank settlement institutions in 2003. Overall totals during his presidency reached billions in government aid for military/security reasons tied to alliance commitments, but personal contributions from Trump himself were negligible and not in millions or billions.

U.S. government military aid to Israel totaled tens of billions, far exceeding the standard annual levels due to the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza, escalations with Hezbollah, and Iran. Under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), baseline aid remained around $3.8 billion per year ($3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grants for U.S. weapons purchases and $500 million for joint missile defense like Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow). These funds primarily support Israel’s Ministry of Defense and IDF for munitions, aircraft sustainment, and replenishing interceptors, justified by maintaining Israel’s qualitative military edge against Iran-backed threats and regional stability.