Republican groups from across the ideological spectrum continue to coalesce behind Donald Trump ahead of the November election, including one grassroots organization that some in the GOP might see as an unlikely benefactor.
As anti-Israel sentiment continues to mount on college campuses and elsewhere across the U.S., however, the Republican Jewish Coalition is all-in on a second Trump term.
The group recently announced a huge fundraising push that will inject at least $5 million into Trump’s campaign.
According to Fox News:
RJC national political director Sam Markstein highlighted that this “will be the RJC’s largest effort ever to mobilize support in the Jewish community for President Trump.”
Additionally, Markstein noted that the announcement is “in addition to our $15 million independent expenditure,” which he characterized as the largest independent expenditure in the organization’s history.
The announcement comes amid weeks of anti-Israel protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
The protests in support of Palestinians have grabbed plenty of attention on cable news and online coverage. Demonstrators have criticized President Biden’s support for Israel in its battle with Hamas and have called on colleges and universities to cut financial ties with the government in Jerusalem.
ADVERTISEMENTPolls suggest that while many Democrats are divided over the demonstrations, Republicans are nearly entirely united in opposition.
Eight in 10 Republicans questioned in a new Fox News national poll said they opposed the protests, compared to just 15% who said they supported the demonstrations.
Half of Democrats surveyed said they supported the demonstrations, with 41% opposed.
“As antisemitism spikes to record highs and America’s relationship with our ally Israel continues to reach new lows, the Jewish community is more energized than ever to turn the page from the failures, broken promises, and betrayals by Joe Biden. November 5 cannot come soon enough,” Markstein argued.
Trump’s first-term policies are receiving fresh praise amid growing anti-Israel sentiment within the Biden administration.
I have been clear at home and I will be clear here: There is no excuse for an American president to block aid to Israel – aid that was duly passed by the Congress. There is no excuse to ease sanctions on Iran, paying a $6 billion ransom to the world’s leading state sponsor of… pic.twitter.com/ySsPA0fjsu
— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) May 19, 2024
Trump has also made his case directly to Jewish voters who might otherwise be inclined to vote Democrat.
Biden wants to immediately stop all aid to Israel. Any Jewish person who votes for Crooked Joe Biden should have his/her head examined!
Donald Trump Truth Social 05:25 AM 05/10/24
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 10, 2024
I want to say God Bless the people of Israel. They’re under attack right now…it would not have happened if we were in office…
Donald Trump Truth Social 08:07 PM EST 04/13/24
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 14, 2024
Here’s how Trump described the current situation earlier this month, per Spectrum News:
“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden told CNN anchor Erin Burnett in an interview in Wisconsin on Wednesday, adding: “I made it clear that if they go into Rafah … I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem.”
When asked by Spectrum News North Carolina political anchor Tim Boyum about Biden’s comments and if he would have a red line in Israel’s war with Hamas, Trump replied: “Well, I wouldn’t do what Biden did. He just abandoned Israel. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Trump then criticized why Jewish people — who typically overwhelmingly back Democrats — vote the way they do. A Pew Research Center survey from last month showed that 69% of Jewish voters align with the Democratic Party, while 29% back Republicans. Since 2020, Jewish voter share among Democrats increased 8%.
“Why Jewish people vote for Democrats is beyond me,” Trump said. “I think maybe they’ll change their mind, but they’ve been wedded to Democrats for you know, for 50 years, probably more than that. And there’s been no president has ever done anything close to what I’ve done for Israel.”
As president, Trump in 2020 oversaw bilateral agreements between Israel and Arab nations known as the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between the Jewish state, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. That year, he also announced an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan alongside Netanyahu that was criticized by Palestinian leaders and the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Biden at the time called it a “political stunt” that could “set back peace even more.” In 2017, Trump officially recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and oversaw the opening of a U.S. embassy in the holy city, a move that enraged Palestinians.
The presumptive GOP presidential nominee made a direct promise to the Jewish people and all Americans in a recent campaign speech.
🇺🇲 Donald Trump promises to deport all Radical Islamists 🇵🇸 & #Antisemites out of America #israel #hamas #palestine pic.twitter.com/iMogJrnBDM
— Jewish Uncensored (@JewUncensored) May 13, 2024
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