President Donald Trump told a gathering of Jewish leaders at his Bedminster, New Jersey, mansion on Thursday night that his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, is “pandering to” anti-Semitism rather than “eradicating” it.
Trump has described anti-Semitism on college campuses as an “abnormality” and said Jewish leaders like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) could lead to the decline of Jewish leadership in the United States and allow politicians who hate Israel and Jews to become prominent representatives in the Democratic Party.
VP Harris has come under fire in recent weeks for rejecting Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as a running mate because he is Jewish and pro-Israel, and has also hired anti-Israel advisers. Trump also noted that VP Harris avoided Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a special joint session of Congress last month, and has supported some of President Joe Biden’s bad policies, such as removing the Houthis from the terrorism organization list.
He noted that “hundreds of thousands” of people will gather in Chicago next week to protest against Israel at the Democratic National Convention.
He said Jews must bring about change by changing their voting behavior and voting for him and Republicans: “You habitually vote Democrat. … You have to stop that. You have to get smart.”
“Jihad will not come to America under a Trump administration,” he joked, describing Kamala Harris as “the candidate of people who want to destroy Western civilization and Israel.”
He said her “weakness” and “complacency” toward Israel and America’s enemies encouraged the October 7 Hamas terror attack, which he said would not have happened if he had remained president.
Trump said that if he were to return to office, he would allow Israel to win the war on terrorism.
Mr Trump also slammed anti-Semitism in American cities and university campuses, saying “what’s happening now is exactly what happened before the Holocaust” and noted that Kamala Harris had praised the “emotion” of anti-Israel protests.
“The person running is a far-left lunatic,” he said of his rival.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the same, noting that Harris’ running mate had praised an imam who supported Hitler.
Trump warned that if Harris and Walz won, people who hate Israel and Jews would be running the U.S. government, including foreign policy.
Trump said that if he won, he would warn universities that they must stop anti-Semitism on their campuses or face losing their accreditation and federal funding.
“As president, I will once again stand with the state of Israel. I will defend Israel. [the] “I put the American Jewish community first,” he concluded, “and I put America first. I will keep America safe and protect Judeo-Christian civilization from the barbarian tribes and left-wing extremists who want to destroy it.”
The rally was attended by a number of prominent Jewish figures from across the United States, including Boca Raton, Florida, Mayor Scott Singer, who was seen on video footage of the event.
One speaker said that the hostile atmosphere on college campuses reminded many Jews of the situation in Germany in the 1930s, and that Jews “would feel safer walking the streets of such places.” [Arab] President Trump’s lectures in the “countries” that signed the Abraham Accords were more memorable than the “hallowed halls” of Columbia, Harvard and other top American universities.
Dr. Miriam Adelson, an addiction treatment physician and widow of the late Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson, spoke at the rally, telling attendees about the impact of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel. She lamented the anti-Semitism that has arisen in the aftermath of the attacks in a world that has lost its sense of morality.
“There is only one president who fully shares my values on fighting anti-Semitism,” Adelson said. “And that president is Donald Trump.” She recited a list of promises Trump has kept to Israel, including moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and working for peace between Israel and Arab countries.
“Politicians make promises,” Adelson continued, “and true leaders keep their promises. That’s why President Trump deserves the full support of the entire Jewish people and all those who care about the security and prosperity of Israel.”
She said Jews have a duty to ensure Trump’s reelection.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday The show airs Sunday nights from 7 to 10 p.m. (4 to 7 p.m. ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” which is available for preorder on Amazon. He also wrote,Trumpian virtue: The lessons and legacy of Donald Trump’s presidency” is available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter. Joel Pollack.
