Donald Trump threatens to withhold aid over UN Jerusalem vote

Donald Trump has said the US could cut off billions of dollars in foreign aid, insisting that the US is “not going to be taken advantage of any longer” by countries that vote against it at the UN and then accept financial help.

The threats come before a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution that rejects the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, wrote to almost all of the 193 member states to issue a warning that she would be “taking names” of those who voted in favour of the resolution, The Guardian reports.

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At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump said the US would “save a lot” by withholding foreign aid.

“This isn’t like it used to be where they could vote against you and then you pay them hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said. “We’re not going to be taken advantage of any longer.”

The Washington Post reports that Turkey has “swiftly criticised” the linking of US aid to the outcome of the vote, and “accused the White House of further isolating itself through its threats”.