President Trump says he will 'cut off' all aid to Israel by the end of the year in an unexpected announcement on Election Day.
The president surprised Fox News on Tuesday morning as he revealed he was ceasing $4 billion in aid to Israel, admitting that it had become too powerful of a talking point for Democrats while Republicans 'suffer the slings.'
Trump said the issue was giving political ammunition to 'lunatics like (Abdul) El-Sayed', the Democratic nominee for the Senate in Michigan who has run a close race against Republican Mike Rogers with a staunch anti-Israel platform.
Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on board with the move and said 'they don't need it', capturing headlines as voters head to the polls for the midterms across the nation.
With Republicans bracing for a 'blue tsunami', polls opened across the US on Tuesday morning as crucial Senate, House, and governor seats are up for grabs – and historical GOP strongholds have turned into political battlegrounds.
In the Senate, Democrats must flip four Republican-held seats to gain control. In the House, Democrats need to pick up just three seats.
The first polls close at 6pm ET and the last polls wrap up at 1am ET. Then the nation will wait as ballots are counted across the country to find out whether Republicans or Democrats will take power.
Follow the Daily Mail for more updates...
Breaking:Trump says he will 'cut off' all Israel aid by the end of the year
President Trump said on Tuesday that he was ending all US aid to Israel by the end of the year.
'They don't need it,' Trump told Fox and Friends, in an election day announcement.
Trump said he was ending $4 billion of aid to the nation, and said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on board with the move.
Your guide to the 2026 midterm elections: Everything you need to know about when voting closes and when we can expect the results
Millions of Americans will head to the polls on Tuesday in what is shaping up to be one of the most decisive midterm elections in US history.
Voters will choose in a collective battle for power that might turn America upside down and determine the future of Donald Trump's presidency.
Throughout the first two years of Trump's second administration, Republicans have controlled the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
But polling ahead of the 2026 midterms has repeatedly indicated a 'blue wave' Democratic victory as Senate, House and governor seats are up for grabs – even in historically deep-red states that turned into political battlegrounds.
Exclusive:Voters in Maine tell the Daily Mail they are 'tired of the establishment' ahead of key Senate result
This morning outside of the City Hall in Portland, Maine, a steady drum beat of voters appeared to the area's larger polling location.
The wait as of 10:00am was roughly 30 minutes, according to poll workers.
Out of the five individuals coming out of the polls, four said they had voted for Democratic candidate Troy Jackson to take incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins's seat.
However, the enthusiasm for Jackson was limited, as many voters admitted they did not know much about the candidate who has run a truncated 100 day campaign after former liberal candidate Graham Platner dropped out in July amid sexual assault allegations.
'The fact that he's not Susan Collins is pretty huge for me,' Oliver Adams, 29, a tech worker, told the Daily Mail after casting his vote for Jackson. 'I really hate Susan Collins.'
Drew, an online business owner, had a similar answer: 'Troy Jackson… Because I'm just tired of the establishment, and I don't believe Susan Collins actually stands for the people of Maine.'
Every answer for why voters were for Jackson invariably included some anti-Collins sentiment.
Leah, a middle-aged woman wearing a navy blue American flag sweater, admitted she is in the minority with her support of Collins in deep blue Portland.
She voted for the incumbent Republican who is running for her sixth consecutive term.
'I just think she'll deliver for Maine better than the other candidate, and I don't think his attitude is becoming of what a senator should be,' she told the Daily Mail.
Still, she has doubts about the direction the country is heading in under Republican control.
'I'm worried about the economy, the war in Iran hasn't gone as well… we all hoped it would be over by now. But also I'm concerned about the socialism movement and how it could affect the nation.'
So far, Portland - where Jackson's watch party will be held this evening - appears solidly for the Democrat despite lackluster enthusiasm.
16:00
Republicans are abandoning private polling... and blindly turning to desperate eleventh-hour tactic: MARK HALPERIN's final midterm forecast, as GOP insiders fear nightmare scenario
The Republican strategists who have spent much of this fall telling themselves the midterms would be bad but survivable are having trouble with the second half of that proposition.
With the election almost here, some of the people with the best access to private polling are contemplating a result considerably worse than the one being discussed on television.
President Trump made a surprise announcement on election day morning that he was cutting off $4 billion in aid to Israel by the end of the year.
The president said he made the move because he decided, 'they don't need it.'
Speaking with Fox News, Trump said he believed the issue of US aid to Israel had become a powerful talking point for Democrats, while Republicans 'suffer the slings.'
'It's a bad talking point because when you say, 'Why don't we give everybody $4 billion?'' Trump said.
'Israel's our number one; we give them more than anybody else, and they no longer need it.'
The billions in US aid to Israel had been set under a 10-year memorandum of understanding that was signed in 2018, which Trump now says he will be ending early.
15:31
Jewish voters in Detroit tell the Daily Mail why they're voting for Mike Rogers
Jewish voters in Detroit, Michigan tell the Daily Mail that they are changing their usual liberal voting habits and opting for Republican Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.
Voter Shlomi Bennett said Tuesday morning that he is voting for Rogers because he holds 'serious concerns about El-Sayed's response to antisemitism.'
'I'm particularly troubled by what I see as his failure to clearly condemn ads that Jewish voters have called antisemitic, and his associations with controversial figures such as Hasan Piker and Tucker Carlson,' Bennett said.
He said he voted for Haley Stevens in the primary over El-Sayed, and he said Stevens' endorsement of Rogers was indicative of 'a serious divide' in American politics.
Rabbi Asher Lopatin also said he found Stevens' decision to cross party lines 'courageous'.
'Whether or not you agree with Rep Haley Stevens endorsement of Mike Rogers, everyone should respect the courage that it took for her to defy her party and take what she feels is a principled stand,' he said.
'Such courage - at great cost to her political career - is all too rare in today's political world. I general, I hope we learn to respect each other's decisions without demonizing those positions we disagree with.'
15:28
Minnesota sets midterm early voting record as state reports massive turnout data
Minnesota set a new midterm early voting record as more than 886,000 residents voted early in this year's midterms.
The Minnesota secretary of state's office said the total surged past the previous record of 687,062 votes.
Officials said the city of Minneapolis also set a record with 69,000 early votes.
The Minnesota senate election is being closely watched by observers, with Democratic nominee Peggy Flanagan holding a lead in polls against GOP nominee Michele Tafoya.
15:00
Meet the Republicans who are secretly voting Democrat in the midterms... despite a brutal backlash waiting at home
James Edge can vividly recall his delight at receiving a signed letter from Richard Nixon, in response to his own.
Opening that White House envelope, he says fondly, is one of his earliest childhood memories, and something which warmed the hearts of his staunchly Republican relatives.
At 18 he cast his first vote, for Ronald Reagan – 'which is still something I'm very proud of.'
'I'm 62 now, and I've voted in every single Republican primary since then, with one exception - when Rush Limbaugh told us to be part of "Operation Chaos," and mess up the Democratic primaries,' Edge told the Daily Mail.
Alaska 'Decoy Dan' scandal triggers 'widening criminal investigation' into Democrats from the DOJ
Sources say around 20 letters have been sent to Democrats informing them that they are targets of a widening criminal investigation into the 'Decoy Dan' scandal rocking the Alaska Senate race.
Democrats in the state have been accused of recruiting a similarly named candidate to run against GOP Senator Dan Sullivan, allegedly intending to confuse voters and help Democratic nominee Mary Peltola.
Sources told the New York Times on Tuesday that the DOJ has sent letters to Democrats informing them they are targets of the ongoing investigation.
The outlet reported the recipients of the letters included prominent election lawyer Marc Elias, and at least one official at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
The letters said the DOJ is investigation possible donor fraud and conspiracy charges, sources said.
14:40
Trump issues blistering attack saying Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed 'hates Jews and hates Blacks'
President Trump issued a scathing election day attack on Michigan Democratic candidate for Senate, Abdul El-Sayed.
Trump said the Democrat 'hates Jews and hates Blacks' in a Truth Social post on Truth Social.
'Don't feel bad, he also hates Whites,' Trump added. 'Only fools would vote for him in the Michigan race for the US Senate. He will, 100%, do you in!'
El-Sayed is facing off against Republican Mike Rogers in the key senate race.
14:32
Almost one-third of Michigan's registered voters had voted by 7am as key state sees huge early turnout
Officials in Michigan said by 7am on Tuesday, 32.9 percent of the state's active registered voters had already cast ballots.
The total includes over 750,000 people who voted early in person, with the remaining votes coming from absentee ballots and people voting at the crack of dawn on election day.
The state's senate race between Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is one of the key races that will decide control of congress.
14:26
'No way' we will know result of New York district today due to early voting machine failures, sources say
An issue with ballot machines early on election day in Westchester County, New York has upended voting in the crucial swing district.
The issue has affected voters across the county, where Republican Rep. Mike Lawler is fighting to keep his seat in New York's 17th District in the Democrat-dominated state.
BREAKING - Just got off phone with election source . Told me ‘there is NO way we will know the winner of #NY17 tonight’ due to ballot fiasco. @News12pic.twitter.com/dW2SHgqr11
Officials said voters have been told to complete paper ballots that will be held in 'secure' bags, which will then be counted after polls close.
Over one million people live in the county in upstate New York, and the area will also count for a key voting bloc in the gubernatorial election between incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul and Republican Bruce Blakeman.
