Tucker Carlson made waves on the Megyn Kelly Show Thursday by saying that Israel could not exist without support from the $1.5 trillion U.S. military.

This generated massive backlash, with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee slamming Carlson for what appeared to be his fabulist fib.

“Neither of these people are dumb,” he wrote on X. “I worked with them at Fox. They know how to Google basic facts. The U.S. provides $3.8 billion (NOT $1.5 trillion), but Israel spends many times over that on [the] U.S.”

“We get a huge ROI — are they too lazy to research or intentionally lying?” he wondered.

It appears, for once, that Carlson was in fact misunderstood. He did not actually say that the U.S. provides $1.5 trillion in aid to Israel. Instead, he characterized the U.S. military as a $1.5 trillion military that backs Israel.

“Israel could not sustain a blockade or defend itself for 24 hours without the $1.5 trillion U.S. military backstopping it and enforcing the long-standing defense guarantee,” were his exact words. “… If that were to go away, Israel would have two choices: Suffer elimination or use nuclear weapons.”

Of course, it’s a fantasy of Carlson’s that Israel would cease to exist without U.S. aid.

Still, Carlson doesn’t deserve too much benefit of the doubt. The master of manipulation surely knows that his clever phrasing will lead his Israel-hating fans to believe that the U.S. spends that outrageous amount on Israel — and that his detractors will melt down over the perceived lie.

For the record, the actual amount Israel receives in military aid is $3.8 billion, which Israel is required to use to buy weapons manufactured in the U.S. An added benefit for the U.S. is that Israel test drives its weapons and provides crucial feedback on their effectiveness, leading to greater improvements.

From where did Carlson get the gargantuan $1.5 trillion figure he cited? He did not pull it out of thin air. The Trump administration has proposed a 2027 defense budget to build what President Trump calls a “Dream Military” to support conflicts the government deems are in the best interest of the United States.

The current defense budget of the United States is below $1 trillion. The U.S. does not, in fact, have a $1.5 trillion army.

So don’t believe Tucker Carlson — he lies even when he’s not lying.