Donald Trump has railed against his Jewish donors, complaining that the vast majority of Jews voted against him in the US presidential election, and suggested the Democratic Party was “putting a curse on you”.
The Republican presidential candidate made the comments in a speech at the Israel-American Council’s national summit in Washington on Thursday, warning in hyperbolic terms that a victory for his opponent, Kamala Harris, would wipe Israel off the map.
Trump, with American and Israeli flags behind him, voiced his frustration at the end of a rambling speech in which he claimed his approval rating among Jewish voters had risen from 25% in 2016 to 29% in 2020. “Based on what I’ve done and my love – the same love you all have – I should be 100%,” he complained.
Trump has claimed he has been Israel’s “best president ever,” but the latest polls show his approval rating among Jewish voters remains below 40 percent. “That means 60 percent voted for someone who hates Israel. And I say this: It’s going to happen, and it’s only because the Democrats control and curse you. We can’t let this happen. 40 percent is unacceptable, because we have to win elections.”
Trump has been criticized for associating with extremists who spread anti-Semitic rhetoric, such as far-right activist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. When former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke endorsed Trump in 2016, Trump responded, “I don’t know anything about David Duke, and I don’t know anything about white supremacists.”
But during his four years in office, Trump approved a series of policy changes that many Israel advocates have long called for, including moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, formally recognizing the Golan Heights as under Israeli sovereignty and tearing up Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.
At a donor event on Thursday titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America,” Trump told a largely supportive audience: “Here’s my promise to Jewish Americans: With your vote, I will be your advocate, your protector, and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House. But in fairness, I already am.”
He criticized Harris for the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and for what he called anti-Semitic protests on college campuses and elsewhere: “Kamala Harris has done absolutely nothing. She has not lifted a finger to protect you or your children.”
But the former president repeatedly spoke out against his persistent conflict with Jewish voters, a clear political sore spot, and repeatedly asserted that Jews who vote Democratic should “get their heads checked.”
He continued: “Let me put it very simply and gently: I have been truly wronged. But you have been wronged, because you are at great risk. And the United States has been wronged.”
He claimed that if he did not win the election, Israel would “disappear” within two to three years: “I have to tell you the truth, so that you can cheer up, because there is no way I will get 40% of the votes. I am your protector. These are the people who are trying to destroy you, and 60% of the Jewish people are basically in favor of that.”
Trump claimed that a recent poll in Israel showed 99 percent favorable toward him, though it was unclear which poll he was citing. He went on to boast: “Everybody loves me. I could run for prime minister, but I’d have to learn the Israeli language. It’s a hard language to learn…I’m the most popular guy in Israel. But it doesn’t work here. It’s weird.”
At the end of his speech, the former president reiterated, “I believe that if I do not win, Israel will be wiped off the face of the earth.” He went on to describe Vice President Harris, without evidence, as “anti-Israel” and “anti-Semitic,” even though she is married to Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish.
Trump was introduced by Miriam Adelson, co-owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks and mega-donor widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Critics have likened the Adelsons’ ability to divorce public policy on Israel from public opinion to the National Rifle Association’s influence over gun control.
Miriam Adelson praised Trump’s “beautiful Jewish daughter,” Ivanka, and urged those gathered to support Trump. “We as Jews must all vote for Trump,” she said. “It is our sacred duty to thank him for all he has accomplished and have faith in all he will accomplish in the future.”
Earlier, leaders of the Democratic Unconstrained Protest Vote movement said the group would not endorse Harris as its presidential candidate but called on its supporters to vote against Trump. The group, which opposes the Biden administration’s handling of the Israeli-Hamas war, is calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. arms transfers to Israel.
