From the Liveblog of
Friday, September 20, 2024
Trump suggests he could lose election if more US Jews don’t back him
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Former US president Donald Trump suggests that if he doesn’t win the election in November, it could be because not enough Jewish voters support him.
Speaking at a Washington event organized by the Israeli American Council, Trump cites unspecified polling that has his support at 40 percent among Jewish voters.
“Do they know what the hell’s happening if I don’t win this election? The Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens, because… 60% of the people [are] voting for the enemy,” he says.
After declaring earlier this month that Israel would be annihilated if Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, he further ups the stakes by telling the IAC crowd that Israel would be destroyed within two years if he loses.
He claims that Iran will quickly obtain a nuclear weapon and “terrorist death squads will conduct constant raids into Israeli territory from all sides, going door to door and torturing, raping, kidnapping and massacring innocent civilians… Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will become unlivable war zones, as suicide attacks grind life to a halt.”
“I said to [IAC funder] Miriam [Adelson] today, ‘They have to go through a little tough love here today because we have to tell them the fact that Israel will not exist within two years if [Harris] becomes president,'” Trump declares.
