Trump to address conference of Orthodox Jews in wake of West-Fuentes controversy

Former US president to speak to Haredi education group at a club he owns in Florida, after hosting antisemites and refusing to apologize

JTA — Former US president Donald Trump is set to address a conference organized by a Haredi Orthodox education group weeks after his dinner with two prominent antisemitic figures sparked a wave of criticism.

Trump will speak Friday at the annual President’s Conference of Torah Umesorah, Politico reported on Thursday, during a days-long event at his National Doral club in Miami.

The former president hosted antisemite Kanye West and white supremacist Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida last month. He has refused to apologize despite widespread condemnation, including from some Republican leaders.

Last week, Trump earned more criticism after saying Jewish leaders were “lacking loyalty” to him because they do not praise him enough for his pro-Israel policies while president, similar to other statements he has made in the past.

Trump, who is running for the 2024 presidency, said he did not know Fuentes, a prominent Holocaust denier, before dining with him and West, the rapper who now goes by Ye and has gone on repeated antisemitic tirades in recent months.

Politico reported that the Torah Umesorah group, which trains Haredi Jewish educators, has had conferences at the National Doral in the past.

Trump fares better with Orthodox Jews than he does with other American Jewish groups due to his conservative policies on Israel and his efforts to uphold the rights of faith groups on issues involving the separation of church and state.

A conference organizer did not respond to a request for comment.