Republican Ramaswamy doubles back on US military aid to Israel

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will consider enlarging US military aid to Israel if elected, he told Israel Hayom on Wednesday after he previously said that the aid should be cut.

He told Israel Hayom that US military aid to Israel is actually beneficial for both nations.

"The reality is that the three billion in aid that we give to Israel is a tiny drop in the bucket for the US military budget," he said. "A lot of that work is done here in the United States of America. It's actually accretive to the US and our interests. And so, in a certain way, it would be silly for us to want to skimp or cut that when in fact, it's not just in Israel's interest, but that's in our own interest, even nationally, in building our industrial base."

He added that the US won't cut the aid until Israel says it doesn't need it anymore.

Ramaswamy urged the US to cut the aid last week

The Republican candidate sparred with fellow candidate Nikki Haley in a debate last week over the issue of aid. At the time, Ramaswamy said it was important to cut the aid because the relations between Israel and the US weren't a "business relationship" but a friendship.

"And you know what friends do?" he said at the time. "Friends help each other stand on their own two feet.”

The Israel Hayom interview did not touch on Ramaswamy's apparent change of heart, but Ramaswamy did say that it would even be reasonable to discuss enlarging the aid if necessary.