Former US President Donald Trump has urged American Jews to vote for him in the upcoming November election, warning that Israel could be destroyed by its enemies if they fail to do so. Trump was speaking at a fundraiser on Sunday in a New Jersey municipality with a significant Jewish population. The former president and Republican nominee for the 2024 election claimed that the Democrats hate Israel and “largely hate” Jewish people, stating, “We have to win this election. We need the Jewish people to vote for Trump. If you don’t have Jewish people voting for Republicans… you’re not going to have Israel for very long.
The presidential hopeful also pledged to help Israel win its war against Hamas if elected, reiterating his claim that the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel would not have happened had he still been in office. According to surveys by the Pew Research Center, a Washington-based think tank, a majority of US Jews have consistently voted for the Democratic Party. However, state-funded Voice of America noted in May that an increasing number have backed the Republicans in recent elections. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle cited a survey of New York voters in February showing that 53% of Jewish voters intended to vote for Donald Trump in November.
The relationship between the Biden administration and the Israeli government has soured in recent months amid the Jewish state’s offensive in Gaza. US President Joe Biden has warned the Israeli leadership against an all-out assault in the densely populated city of Rafah, stating that it would be a ‘red line.’ In late April, the Biden administration paused a shipment of munitions that officials expected Israel to use in Rafah.
In April, Trump took a dig at Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, stating, “Biden has totally lost control of the Israel situation… Any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined.” The Jewish State launched its offensive in the Gazan city in early May amid widespread international condemnation.
Israel has been the largest recipient of US economic and military aid since its founding in 1948, having received about $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance, according to American foreign policy think tank the Council on Foreign Relations. In April, Biden signed into law a $95 billion foreign funding bill that included military aid to Israel.