(Bloomberg) -- Republican nominee Donald Trump told an antisemitism summit that Jewish voters could be to blame if he ultimately lost the presidential election and complained that he had not “been treated right” after his support of Israel.
“In my opinion the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss,” Trump said at the event hosted by Republican donor Miriam Adelson. “It’s only because of the Democrat hold, or curse, on you.”
Trump went on to repeatedly suggest his backing for Israel should result in more political support among Jewish Americans, and at one point conflated Jewish Americans with the state of Israel itself.
“More than any people on Earth, Israel has to defeat her,” he said, adding that “there’s no way that I should be getting 40% of the vote — I’m the one who is protecting you.”
Trump spent Thursday attempting to enhance his outreach to Jewish voters before November’s election against Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, giving speeches at both the forum and a subsequent event hosted by the Israeli American Council. He said that Israel’s very existence could hinge on the election: “If I don’t win, I believe Israel will be eradicated,” he said.
But the former president’s remarks risked again stoking controversy over suggesting that Jewish Americans should be loyal to Israel’s interests.
After the speech, Amy Spitalnick, chief executive officer of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs issued a rebuke.
“Trump continues to label Jews who don’t support him as disloyal and crazy, to play into dangerous dual loyalty tropes, and to blame Jews for a potential electoral loss,” she said. “At the same time, he continues to normalize antisemitic extremism.”
Trump repeated his claim that he was not treated fairly by Jewish voters at his subsequent event, and added that Jewish votes “may be necessary for us to win.”
Trump has repeatedly come under criticism for remarks asserting that American Jews ought to be unquestioningly supportive of the Israeli government.
In an interview in March, Trump accused Jewish people who support Democrats of hating their religion and Israel. Trump has sought to seize on divisions among Democrats over Israel’s war against Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union.
In a July radio interview, Trump attacked Harris, saying she “doesn’t like Jewish people” and that she had appeared annoyed during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When the radio host criticized Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, calling him a “crappy Jew,” Trump responded “yeah.”
Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of a US president or vice president and has been a vocal advocate against antisemitism, including leading the administration’s strategy on the issue.
Trump has also drawn criticism for interactions with antisemites and white supremacists, including a dinner at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022 with Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier.
A Pew Research Center survey conducted from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2 found 65% of Jewish registered voters support or are leaning toward Harris, with 34% for Trump.
Still, the Republican nominee is hopeful that he can exploit Democratic divisions over the war in Gaza, which has become a political challenge for Harris. Progressives and younger voters have voiced criticism of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel. Harris, while backing Israel’s right to defend itself has expressed more empathy for Palestinian suffering than Biden during the war.
On Thursday, Trump said as president he would revoke the accreditation of colleges who did not address instances of antisemitism on campus.
Earlier: Israel Sees ‘New Phase’ in Regional War After Lebanon Blasts
He also vowed to reinstate his travel ban that barred people from some predominantly Muslim countries and expand it to prevent refugees from war-torn Gaza from entering the US.
“I will ban refugee resettlement from terror infested areas like the Gaza Strip, and we will seal our border and bring back the travel ban,” Trump said.
“Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world,” Trump added “We’re not taking them from infested countries.”
Trump initially put in place a version of his travel ban — one of the signature measures of his presidency — a week after taking office, triggering chaos at airports and sparking protests. Judges blocked the initial ban but changes to the policy eventually led to it being upheld by the US Supreme Court, which rejected claims that it targeted Muslims.
--With assistance from Jordan Fabian, Bill Allison and Stephanie Lai.
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