Trump suggests he could win 50% of the Jewish vote in a presidential runoff against Harris

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Former President Trump criticized Jewish Americans for not supporting him in his run against Vice President Kamala Harris, suggesting he could win up to half of the Jewish vote in the 2024 election.

“My approval rating is probably around 50 percent,” Trump said Thursday in comments streamed live from the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual leadership conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The former president and Republican candidate also claimed without evidence that Israel “will no longer exist” if she wins the November election.

Trump was addressing a group of Republican Jewish leaders, donors and activists days after the remains of six Israeli hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg Pollin, were retrieved in Gaza, who were taken by Hamas last October during an attack on Israel that sparked the 11-month Gaza war.

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In response to Trump's speech, Harris' campaign noted that Trump had previously criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who congratulated Biden on his victory over Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

“Donald Trump has made it clear that he would quickly launch attacks against Israel if it was in his interest, and he has done so in the past,” Morgan Finkelstein, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Harris, said in a statement. “Meanwhile, the Vice President has been crystal clear and has supported Israel as a safe, democratic homeland for the Jewish people throughout his life.”

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President Biden supports Israel's right to defend itself, but his relationship with Prime Minister Netanyahu has become increasingly strained during the current war. The president said on Monday that he doesn't think the Israeli leader has done enough to facilitate a hostage deal with Hamas.

The vice president is seeking to balance his support for Israel, which he emphasized in a speech at the Democratic National Convention last month, with acknowledging the high civilian death toll caused by Israel's military attacks on Gaza. Republicans are united in their support for Israel, but many in the Democratic Party's progressive wing are vocal critics of Israel's war with Hamas.

Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris speaks onstage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Trump, who has repeatedly questioned why Jewish Americans can vote Democrat, reiterated, “I don't understand how anyone can support them. I always say, if you support them and you're Jewish, you need to get your head checked.”

“Who are the 50 percent of Jews who are voting for people who hate Israel and don't like Jews?” Trump asked, reiterating his accusation that Democrats have “treated you very badly”.

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Ari Fleischer, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, spoke to reporters after Trump's speech and highlighted growing Jewish support for Republican presidential candidates.

Fleischer, a longtime Republican strategist, former White House press secretary and Fox News contributor, said former President George H. W. Bush won 11 percent of the Jewish vote in 1992, while his boss, former President George W. Bush, won 25 percent of the Jewish vote in his reelection in 2004. Trump won about 30 percent of the Jewish vote four years ago.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, criticized Vice President Kamala Harris during a livestreamed speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual leadership conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 5, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Fleischer did not predict what percentage of the Jewish vote Trump will get this year, but said it could be closer to 50 percent in some battleground states where Jewish voters are considering voting Republican.

“With events happening around the world and what's happening in America, the Jewish community's ears are more open in this election than they have ever been before,” Fleischer said. “It was theoretical, but now it's physical. You can really feel it on the streets of America.”

He added: “What has changed in this election is a palpable sense of fear about what's happening in America, what's happening on campuses, what happened in Israel on October 7th and every day since. American Jews have never been more open to the possibility of voting Republican than they are in this election.”

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Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told reporters that the group's political arm has beefed up its data operations by building “the only valid voter file of Jewish voters in the country” to boost turnout.

“We've been quietly and under the radar for the last few years, preparing. We've been putting staff in place, we've been putting resources in place,” Brooks said. “We currently have staff in Nevada, we have paid staff in Georgia, we have paid staff in Michigan, we have paid staff in Pennsylvania and Arizona. We've been quietly preparing since the last election, preparing to this moment.”

Brooks said the group has spent millions of dollars on digital and television ads, direct mail, phone calls, door-to-door canvassing and other get-out-the-vote efforts, which he described as the “full gamut.”

Republican billionaire donor Miriam Adelson speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual leadership conference on September 5, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

Trump was introduced at the rally by Miriam Adelson, the billionaire casino mogul and Republican megadonor who, along with her late husband Sheldon, was a key backer of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Adelson, who now helps fund a pro-Trump super PAC, called Trump “our best friend” and added that he “can't wait for him to get into the White House and save the Jewish people.”

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