Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stirred controversy on Thursday when he suggested that Jewish-American voters would bear part of the responsibility if he lost the upcoming November 5 election to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
Speaking at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in Washington, Trump lamented his trailing poll numbers among American Jews and voiced concerns for Israel’s future under a Harris presidency. He warned that Israel might cease to exist within two years should Harris win the election, adding that Jewish voters would be partly responsible due to their historical preference for Democrats.
“If I don’t win this election — and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens because if 40 percent, I mean, 60 percent of the people are voting for the enemy — Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years,” Trump declared during his speech.
Trump referenced a poll claiming Harris was polling at 60% among American Jews, contrasting it with his lower support in previous elections, where he won less than 30% of the Jewish vote in both 2016 and 2020. It was unclear which poll Trump was citing, but a recent Pew Research survey found Harris leading Trump among American Jews by 65% to 34%.
Trump’s comments came as part of a broader effort by his campaign to court Jewish voters in key battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, where Jewish voters could influence the outcome of the election. Pennsylvania, which President Joe Biden won by 81,000 votes in 2020, is home to over 400,000 Jewish residents.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, criticized the former president for past associations with individuals accused of anti-Semitism. Trump has repeatedly denied such accusations, emphasizing his Jewish son-in-law during his speeches on Thursday.
Trump’s speech followed a separate Washington event earlier that day, dedicated to combating anti-Semitism, where he delivered similar remarks. However, he did not address a CNN report released earlier about Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson of North Carolina, who was alleged to have made inflammatory comments in the past, including calling himself a “black NAZI” and advocating for the return of slavery.
As the election draws near, the battle for the Jewish vote could prove crucial in determining the next president of the United States.
