LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Former President Donald Trump told the annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition on Saturday that President Joe Biden’s weakness on the world stage “caused” the attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas terrorists October 7.
“Joe Biden’s weakness caused the attack on Israel,” Trump said. “Everywhere he goes, Biden’s weakness provokes war and death—because as history shows, evil only respects one thing: unyielding strength.”
“Three weeks ago, our world was shattered by an attack on Israel,” Trump said. “To every Israeli and every American touched by these barbaric atrocities: We love you — you have to understand that — we love you, we grieve with you, we share your anger, and we stand with you … 110 percent,” he said.
“The conflict between Israel and Hamas is not a conflict between two equal sides. This is a fight between civilization and savagery, between decency and depravity, and between good and evil. There is no comparison between a group that worships death and a group that cherishes life and cherishes our nation.
“Every single life that is lost in this conflict is on the shoulders of Hamas, Hamas alone — and I think you really have to add in the word ‘Iran,'” Trump said.
“There can be no sympathy, no excuses, and no escape for these monsters. And we will do what has to be done.”
“And yet,” he continued, “Joe Biden’s feeble first act … after more than 1,400 innocents, including over 40 Americans, were murdered or kidnapped … and think of this, we immediately announced that we would be sending $100 million dollars into Gaza … they take 100%.
“And then a speech was made [by Biden] declaring that if you support Israel, you must give billions of dollars for open borders and Ukraine,” Trump said disapprovingly.
“Joe Biden’s weakness caused the attack on Israel. Pure weakness and incompetence. Everywhere he goes, Biden’s weakness provokes war and death — because as history shows, evil only respects one thing: unyielding strength.
“When I am back in the White House, America’s enemies will know once again — and they’re gonna know it: that if you try to kill our citizens, we kill you.”
Trump promised: “To every American who is terrified that Joe Biden’s catastrophic weakness will bring our country to ruin … as your president, I will restore peace through strength on the earth.”
He added: “Under my presidency, our country was, very, very feared, and very, very respected.” He noted that he had kept Israel and the U.S. safe for four years.
“If I were president, the attack on Israel would never, ever have happened,” he said. He went on to recall a list of Biden’s other foreign policy failures.
He noted the open U.S.-Mexico border under Biden, adding that other countries are “emptying out their prisons, mental institutions, and sending record numbers of terrorists, for which we will someday be paying a very big price, unless you elect Donald Trump.”
Trump recalled his foreign policy achievements, especially for Israel, noting his decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.
With the right leadership, Trump said, there might have been even broader peace in the Middle East than he had achieved in the 2020 Abraham Accords — even with Iran, he said. But the Biden administration has cozied up to the Iranian regime rather than pressuring it.
“I am proud to be the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House,” he said. “And with four more years, I will defend America, and I will defend Western Civilization from the barbarians, and savages, and fascists that you see right now trying to do harm to our beautiful Israel.”
Trump also addressed the problem of antisemitism in the U.S., which has lately manifested itself in pro-Palestinian rallies in the wake of the brutal Hamas terror attacks.
He said the U.S. had to be more careful about importing antisemitic, anti-Israel immigrants from the Middle East.
“As president, I will end, once and for all, this mass importation of antisemitism to the United States,” he said.
“And just as I did before, we will keep Radical Islamic Terrorists the hell out of our country.
“On Day One, I will restore our travel ban,” he said, noting that he had kept the country safe from foreign terror attacks for four years.
“I will also be implementing strong ideological screening for all immigrants coming in. If you hate America, if you want to abolish Israel, if you sympathize with jihadists, then we don’t want you in our country, and you are not going to be getting into our country.”
Trump also promised, as other candidates have done, to deport foreign students who support Hamas. He went one step further, saying that he would also deport all “resident aliens” who had “joined in the pro-jihadist protests this month.”
He reminded the audience that he had taken strong action against antisemitism on college campuses by extending civil rights protections to Jewish students.
And he promised to cancel the accreditation and federal funding of universities that failed to take action against antisemitism.
Trump also linked the pro-Palestinian protesters of recent weeks to the “woke” rioters of recent years.
“Never forget, the same radicals tearing down posters of Israeli hostages at our universities … are the ones tearing down statues of our American heroes, de-funding our police, destroying our justice system, and demolishing our borders.”
Trump said that the United States and Israel represented “the pinnacle of Western Civilization,” which is why those who hated Israel also targeted America.
He said the two countries had to stick together, “come hell or high water.”
Noting that he had kept the peace for four years by sticking with Israel, he added that Biden’s weakness was the core of the problem. “If you don’t have a strong president, the rest is just words.”
He promised to defend Israel “like nobody has ever defended it before.”
Trump received rousing applause and a standing ovation — the warmest welcome, by far, given to any of the candidates, reflecting both his status as the frontrunner in the Republican presidential primary, and his strong pro-Israel record in office.
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 new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.
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