Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is doubling down on his criticism of U.S. aid to Israel, arguing that all military support should be cut off by 2028, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Ramaswamy, who’s running for the Republican presidential nomination, told the Free Beacon he would negotiate additional peace treaties between Israel and its Arab neighbors during his first year in the White House.
Therefore, Ramaswamy said, aid to Israel would not be needed after the current package passed by Congress expires in 2028.
"If we’re successful, the true mark of success for the U.S., and for Israel, will be to get to a 2028 where Israel is so strongly standing on its own two feet, integrated into the economic and security infrastructure of the rest of the Middle East, that it will not require and be dependent on that same level of historical aid or commitment from the U.S.," Ramaswamy told the Free Beacon on Saturday.
Ramaswamy later clarified via email that he would support continued aid to Israel after 2028 if his peace-agreement plan failed.
Last week in an interview with Rumble, Ramaswamy said U.S. aid to Israel should be dramatically cut, and that Israel’s neighboring Arab states — presumably Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon — should get the same amount in U.S. aid as Israel receives.
Ramaswamy’s stance regarding Israel has drawn criticism.
"It doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve been doing this for almost three decades now," Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Free Beacon.
"Even if we get these [other countries into the Abraham Accords], we still have a bunch of enemies with technology."
Conservative radio host Ari Hoffman tweeted that Ramaswamy’s "comments on Israel prove he has no understanding of the Middle East & likely shows he has little understanding of U.S. foreign policy."
The U.S. provides Israel with $3.3 billion annually, which it is largely required to spend on U.S.-manufactured equipment.
Political strategist Dick Morris accused Ramaswamy of “ignorance and lack of preparation” in his Israel pronouncements.
“He dangerously argues that Israel should not get any more U.S. aid than neighboring Muslim countries,” Morris wrote. “On what basis is that fair? Israel's aid package should be determined by what we give terrorist state Syria?”
Ramaswamy has previously expressed shifting positions when it comes to U.S. military aid to Israel.
He has also come under sharp criticism for a recent interview on the Hugh Hewitt show during which he said he would encourage China to invade Taiwan after 2028, giving him time as president to move the island’s sensitive microchip business to a safer location.
In other policy statements he has said he would pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and former NSA staffer Eric Snowden despite the view held by many that both seriously compromised U.S. security.
Recent polls show that the 38-year-old Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, is fading after a brief rise.
A new Des Moines Register poll released today has Ramaswamy in seventh place, drawing just 4% of the vote in the key primary state.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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