The media are twisting former President Donald Trump’s remarks to Jewish voters at the Israeli American Council on Thursday evening, falsely claiming that he was scapegoating Jews, when in fact he was urging them to vote for him.
As Breitbart News noted, Trump challenged Jewish voters to produce a higher Republican result in the community, noting that he had only risen from 25% to 29% (by other estimates, 24% to 30.5%) after all he had done for Israel.
While he noted that he was polling higher among Jews in 2024, at 40%, Trump noted that the majority of Jews, out of “habit,” were still planning on voting for Democrats who were anti-Israel and who allowed antisemitism to flourish.
The New York Times, and others, twisted Trump’s remarks to suggest that he was suggesting that some conspiracy of Jews would be to blame if he lost the election — and at an event about fighting antisemitism, no less. The Times‘ headline was: “At an event aimed at denouncing antisemitism, Donald Trump said that if he lost, ‘the Jewish people would have a lot to do’ with it.” The article went on to repeat a laundry list of false claims that Trump is an antisemite.
Here are Trump’s actual words in the relevant part of the speech (video below), with the supposedly offensive portion emphasized, in context:
C-SPANNow, I did all of these things and I got 29%. Think of it. So I wasn’t treated right. But it’s not me that’s been treated badly. It’s Israel — because you can make a big difference in the vote. You’re going to be a big factor in the vote. I will say, places like Miami, and different places, were great. But honestly, I went from 25 to 29, and based on what I did, and based on my love of the same love that you have, I should be at 100. I should be at 100. [Applause] But, but let me give you the bad news — a poll. I just told you how the good the polls are but we need every vote we can get. The current polling has me with Jewish citizens, Jewish people, people that are supposed to love Israel after having done all of that, having been the best president, the greatest president by far, by far, a poll just came out. I’m at 40%. That means you’ve got 60% voting for somebody that hates Israel. And I say it, it’s gonna happen. It’s only because of the Democrat hold, or curse, on you. You can’t let this happen. 40% is not acceptable, because we have an election to win. So after all of this, I went from 29 to 40%. And people that are smart, said to me — a friend of mine, Jewish friend of mine, loves Israel, loves everything about, about your religion and about your country, your place. He said I can’t believe it’s happening. It’s sad. And he started to cry, actually, he started to cry with all of this — and he’s a tough cookie. I don’t think he cried for, since he was a little tiny baby. Maybe then I don’t think he cried. I don’t think he cried then, Miriam [Adelson]. But I will put it to you very simply, and gently. I really haven’t been treated right, but you haven’t been treated right, because you are putting yourself in great danger, and the United States hasn’t been treated right. So if I don’t win this election — and I’ve been very good, you know, they say Trump’s been right about everything. I’ve been right about a lot of things, even Ted will admit that — I’ve been right about a lot of things. A lot of things that a lot of people said, “No, that won’t happen,” but a lot of bad things happened, and some good things I’ve been right about, too. And I only want to be — so I’m not going to call this as a prediction. But in my opinion, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss. If I’m at 40%, I — think of it. That means 60% are voting for Kamala who in particular is a bad Democrat. The Democrats are bad to Israel. Very bad. They’ll never change because they have a section of their party now, which has become amazingly and quickly very powerful, vote-wise. I mean, Chuck Schumer is a Palestinian — who would have thought that was gonna happen? What the hell happened to him? [Applause, laughter] I saw him the other day. He was dressed in one of their robes, you know, that will be next. Now, Chuck Schumer is Hamas all the way. I don’t know what the hell happened to him. If you support him, you’re crazy. I can, I have never seen — his change may be bigger than Kamala on fracking in Pennsylvania. Ok? But if we don’t win this election, Israel, in my opinion, within a period of two to three years, will cease to exist. It’s going to be wiped out. That’s what’s gonna happen. It’s a tough thing to say. But what difference does it make from my standpoint? I have to tell you the truth, and maybe you will be energized because there is no way that I should be getting 40% of the vote. I am the one that is protecting you. These are the people that are going to destroy you, and you get, you have 60% of the Jewish people essentially voting for them. If I do win, Israel will be safe and secure and we will stop the toxic poison of antisemitism from spreading all over America and all over the world, we will get it stopped. But if I don’t win, I believe Israel will be eradicated, and you can’t let that happen. And I don’t think you will let that happen. So you have to — Rabbi, you have to get everybody together, and you have to get them to vote because it, it’s craziness to say I am at 40%. And when I heard that number today — it just came out today, when I heard that number today, I think it was insulting to our country. It was insulting to Israel. You know, it’s very interesting. They did a poll in Israel. I’m like 99% favorable — I could run for, right now, I could run for any office in Israel. [Applause] I — in Israel, they love me. Here, not so much, but they do love me in Israel, Miriam. I’m at 99%. Everybody loves me. I could run for prime minister. Would you like me as your prime minister? But I have to learn your language. That’s a tough language to learn. I have to learn it in about three months. I have to learn it very quickly. But, no — I’m very most popular person in Israel, but here it doesn’t translate. It’s a, it’s a strange thing. So we have to save Israel. Look, you’re here for a reason. We have to save Israel. This is no longer games, this is no longer games. This is the saving of Israel.
That supposedly antisemitic message was applauded by the Jews and the Israelis who were actually in the room.
Trump at IAC (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)
However, as usual, his remarks were misreported by the media to suggest, once again, that Trump is an antisemite — even after a speech in which he promised to eradicate antisemitism on college campuses, and to protect Israel.
Trump’s point was that Jewish voters could make the difference in the election, either for a win or for a loss, and that if they voted for Kamala Harris, despite all Trump has done, they would be endangering both Israel and themselves.
Trump says similar things to other groups of voters when he speculates about the consequences of losing an election, especially in circumstances when he, or his endorsed candidates, are running behind in the polls.
In 2019, for example, at a rally for Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Bevin in Kentucky, who lost to Democrat Andy Beshear, he said: “You’ve got to vote, because if you lose, it sends a really bad message … and they will build it up. Here’s the story, if you win they’re, going to make it like ho-hum, and if you lose, they’re going to say Trump suffered the greatest defeat in the history of the world. …
“You can’t let that happen to me, and you know what, you can’t let that happen to your incredible state, Kentucky. You can’t let that happen. That would be a disaster for yourself.”
Similarly, at a rally in New Mexico in 2020, after recounting his achievements for the state, he said: “You’re doing better than any state in the United States. How do I lose New Mexico — explain that one? How do we lose that one?”
Trump said nothing different to Jews than he says to other groups of voters whom he wants to motivate — especially after he has fulfilled their wishes on policy issues that matter to them.
The media, as usual, twisted his remarks.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
