Former President Donald Trump told the Republican Jewish Coalition's Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas on Thursday that during his administration, American Jews felt "safe on our streets and college campuses" and radical Islamist terrorists were kept out of the U.S.
Trump spoke to the gathering via satellite, and portions of his speech were posted on the RJC’s X account.
"I will keep America safe, and I will work with you to make sure that Israel is with us for thousands of years," Trump said. "We're not going to let go of it."
He urged American Jewish voters to support him and warned if the Democrat ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz wins in November, "Israel is gone. You can forget about Israel.
"We're going to make America great again. And we're going to, frankly, help Israel become great again," he said.
"Right now, what you're going through is horrible, with all the death, destruction, and waste, and ruining a civilization. You have to win but you need a partner. You can never have that partner if these radical Marxists win the election."
Exit polls showed Trump gained 30.5% of the Jewish vote in his loss to Joe Biden in 2020, according to the RJC, up 6.5 percentage points from his 24% share in 2016 and the highest percentage for any Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush gained 35% in 1988.
The last Republican to win the Jewish vote in a presidential election was Warren G. Harding in 1920, according to the Jewish Virtual Library.
"This is a critical moment for the Jewish community and for Israel, and the policy contrast between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris could not be clearer in this election," RJC CEO Matt Brooks said in a news release. "With President Trump, we had historic peace and security in the Middle East. With Kamala Harris, we have chaos and war. With President Trump, American Jews could wear a kippah and walk the streets without fear, and Jewish students felt safe when going to class.
"With Kamala Harris, antisemitism has skyrocketed to unprecedented and dangerous levels while she shamefully continues to appease the pro-Hamas mobs on our streets and college campuses and embrace the Squad."
Brooks was referring to the Squad of far-left Democrat representatives such as Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.
"This is the most important election of our lifetimes, and we are thrilled to welcome President Trump back to the RJC Leadership Summit at this absolutely pivotal moment for America, the Jewish community, and Israel," Brooks said.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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