Trump to Speak at Republican Jewish Coalition Summit

(Dreamstime)

Donald Trump was scheduled to speak via satellite at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s (RJC) Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas on Thursday night, another sign of the former president’s outreach to the American Jewish community.

Exit polls showed Trump gained 30.5% of the Jewish vote in his loss to Joe Biden in 2020, according to the RJC, up 6.5 percentage points from his 24% share in 2016 and the highest percentage for any Republican presidential candidate since George H.W. Bush gained 35% in 1988.

The last Republican to win the Jewish vote in a presidential election was Warren G. Harding in 1920, according to the Jewish Virtual Library.

Trump’s support for Israel has never wavered, but the same cannot be said about his Democrat rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been forced to walk a fine line regarding Israel because of the far-left wing of her party that has expressed antisemitic sentiments and supported anti-Israel protests that roiled college campuses this year.

Also, even though the Biden-Harris administration has pledged full support of Israel since Iranian-backed Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack, its words and deeds have been spotty. The administration has tried to appease Iran in hopes of restarting a nuclear deal that Trump abandoned, and it has often criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip to eradicate Hamas and rescue hostages taken during the terrorist attack.

“This is a critical moment for the Jewish community and for Israel, and the policy contrast between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris could not be clearer in this election,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks said in a news release. “With President Trump, we had historic peace and security in the Middle East. With Kamala Harris, we have chaos and war. With President Trump, American Jews could wear a kippah and walk the streets without fear, and Jewish students felt safe when going to class.

“With Kamala Harris, antisemitism has skyrocketed to unprecedented and dangerous levels while she shamefully continues to appease the pro-Hamas mobs on our streets and college campuses and embrace the Squad.”

Brooks was referring to the Squad of far-left Democrat representatives such as Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.

On Wednesday, the first night of the RJC Leadership Summit, speakers reportedly sounded an optimistic tone about Trump’s prospects among Jewish voters, especially in swing states like Pennsylvania, where the Jewish Democrat governor, Josh Shapiro, was passed over as Harris’ running mate.

“This is the most important election of our lifetimes, and we are thrilled to welcome President Trump back to the RJC Leadership Summit at this absolutely pivotal moment for America, the Jewish community, and Israel,” Brooks said.