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By Ruthie Blum
(OCTOBER 18, 2022 / ISRAEL HAYOM) The response to the former U.S. president's Truth Social post has been nothing short of a hysterical – purposeful – misreading of his words, which were neither threatening nor antisemitic.
The latest brouhaha surrounding former U.S. President Donald Trump pertains to comments he posted on Sunday about – and directed to – American Jews.
"No president has done more for Israel than I have," he wrote on his platform, Truth Social. "Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S."
All true, other than the "surprisingly" part. The majority of Jews in the United States wouldn't support a Republican if their lives, or Israel's, depended on it. A befitting quip that circulated in Jerusalem ahead of the 2012 election was that if then-President Barack Obama were to nuke Tel Aviv, the Jewish vote for him might drop to 75%.
Trump continued, "Those living in Israel, though, are a different story; highest approval rating in the world. Could easily be PM!"
Again, though characteristically self-congratulatory, what he said is accurate. During his tenure, many adoring Israelis joked about wanting to elect him to the premiership. And with good reason.
He canceled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal with Iran. He moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which he recognized as Israel's capital. He ceased funding for the terrorist-supporting UNRWA. He shuttered the PLO mission in Washington. He recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. His State Department removed the word "occupied" from references to Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). He designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. And he brokered the historic Abraham Accords.
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