LAS VEGAS–Former President Donald Trump and seven other Republican presidential contenders concur: The Israel-Hamas war amounts to a battle of good versus evil.
The candidates, who spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership summit in Las Vegas on Oct. 28, also accused Democrat President Joe Biden of responding to the Middle East crisis with weakness.
Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,400 people—the worst loss of life in the Jewish state in more than 50 years.
“On that terrible Saturday morning, the world saw once again that the conflict between Israel and Hamas is not a conflict between two equal sides,” President Trump said. “This is a fight between civilization and savagery, between decency and depravity, and between good and evil.”
“Let there be no doubt: The killers responsible for this horrible massacre will burn forever in the eternal pit of hell,” he declared, drawing cheers and applause. “There can be no sympathy, no excuses, and no escape for these monsters.”
“This is not my time,” Mr. Pence said, explaining that he was discontinuing his presidential bid. He did not say whether he would endorse any of the other Republican contenders.
Haley Lands Glancing Blows
After Mr. Pence bowed out, fellow presidential candidate Nikki Haley said: “He’s been a good man of faith. He’s been a good man of service. He has fought for America and he has fought for Israel, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.” The crowd concurred with its applause.However, Ms. Haley took some sideswipes at President Trump just before he took the stage.
Many in the audience clapped and cheered when Ms. Haley said she would not make statements similar to those he recently made. “I will not compliment Hezbollah, nor will I criticize Israel’s prime minister in the middle of a tragedy,” she said, referring to comments President Trump made at a speech in West Palm Beach, Florida on Oct. 11.
During that speech, President Trump disclosed that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed out of the 2020 U.S. strike that “took out” Iranian terrorist Qasem Soleimani, at the last minute. He was known as “the Iranian butcher” and the “father of the roadside bomb,” and is believed to be responsible for 94 percent of such bombs, the former president said.
President Trump made that revelation about Mr. Netanyahu just four days after the Hamas invasion of Israel. Critics say the timing was insensitive to Israel’s plight. The Trump campaign retorted that the former president repeatedly declared his devotion to Israel throughout that same speech and that some of his remarks were taken out of context.
Contrast With Biden
During his Oct. 28 speech to the Jewish coalition, President Trump repeatedly expressed unequivocal support for Israel; he occasionally got the crowd to laugh with his wry sense of humor but the tone remained mostly serious.All eight Republican candidates were told to limit their remarks to about 25 minutes. Faced with that constraint, the former president kept his remarks tightly focused on foreign policy, particularly those involving Israel. He contrasted his actions with those of President Biden.
Right after the war broke out, President Biden waffled on his support for Israel, President Trump said.
“Biden’s weakness provokes war and death—because as history shows, evil only respects one thing: unyielding strength,” the former president said, adding that the world was much more peaceful while he was in the White House.
President Trump also criticized President Biden, his presumed 2024 opponent, for agreeing to send $100 million in aid to the Gaza Strip, a region that Hamas controls. The money is supposed to be used for humanitarian purposes but critics fear the funds could be used to fuel more terrorism.
“When I am back in the White House, the United States will stand with Israel, all the way, 100 percent—no hesitation,” President Trump said, as the audience clapped and hooted in appreciation.
Under a second Trump administration, “America’s enemies will know once again that if you try to kill our citizens, we kill you,” he said. “If you spill a drop of American blood, we spill a gallon of yours.”
President Biden has also reversed President Trump’s economic sanctions on Iran, a known sponsor of terrorist groups such as Hamas. As a result, Iran was able to resume oil exports, fattening its coffers by $100 billion. President Trump said that, in contrast, he would restore sanctions.
‘Blind Eye’ to Antisemitism
President Trump said his travel ban, which blocked people from terrorist-sponsoring nations from coming into the United States, helped keep the U.S. safe. President Trump said he tightened the U.S.-Mexico border, where illegal immigrants from many nations seep through if immigration policies go unenforced. He says that’s what is happening now.The former president also advocates “ideological screening” for immigrants, saying that those who hate America and sympathize with Islamist jihadists should not be allowed into the country.
“And to all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests this month ... come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you,” he said. The audience hooted and hollered in agreement.
Meanwhile, “in the past three weeks, Crooked Joe Biden has turned a blind eye to the greatest outbreak of anti-Semitism in American history. He has refused to stand up against the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses and even among some Democrat members of Congress,” President Trump said.
President Trump said he has called friends who happen to be Jewish and says that, even though they’re “tough people,” they’re frightened. “Their kids are afraid to go to school.”
“As president, I will absolutely protect our Jewish citizens from these maniacs,” he said, referring to antisemites.
Under President Biden, America is seeing “record numbers of terrorists, for which we will someday be paying a big price unless you elect Donald J. Trump.”
That comment, made toward the end of his speech, produced one of the loudest rounds of applause of the program.
‘Star of the Show’
Several attendees told The Epoch Times that President Trump, the eighth and final GOP presidential candidate to speak, gave the most-well-received remarks.“He was the star of the show,” Billy Long, who formerly represented Missouri in Congress, said in an interview. He also commended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for delivering a strong speech. But Mr. Long thinks the other candidates should consider bowing out, as Mr. Pence did, because President Trump is the clear frontrunner.
But Prasanth Reddy, a native of India who is now running for Congress to represent Kansas, said, “I think each of the speakers had their moments.”
The candidates were able to set aside most of their differences, he said. They came across as united in their outrage over the Hamas attacks and their support for Israel.
Mr. Reddy walked away with the main message that it’s important to “stand with Israel,” he said, adding, “There is no moral equivalency between what Hamas committed and what Israel is doing to defend its right to exist.”
‘More Pro-Trump’ This Year
As the former president took the stage, the audience of about 1,000 people rose to its feet, cheering loudly.The crowd seemed “more pro-Trump than they were last year,” noted Harry DeMell, a New York immigration attorney who attended the conference and heard the former president speak last year and this year.
Mr. DeMell told The Epoch Times he voted for President Trump in the past and would vote for him again if he becomes the Republican Party’s nominee. But Mr. DeMell says he became “disillusioned” over President Trump’s tendency to make personal attacks, although he liked his policies.
In contrast, Mr. DeMell said he admired Mr. Pence for his “integrity” and well-reasoned responses.
Mr. DeMell said he was moved to tears when Mr. Pence announced he was quitting the race.
Post-announcement, the audience gave Mr. Pence several standing ovations in appreciation for his pro-Israel words and deeds. As he wound down his speech, some in the crowd were shouting, “Thank you, Mike Pence!”
But another conference attendee, Dolly DeLeon of Las Vegas, who wore a camouflage-patterned Trump hat, said Mr. Pence’s announcement was “the best thing that he ever did in this campaign.”
Ms. DeLeon said that even though she is not Jewish, she came to the conference to see President Trump. As a native of the Philippines who came to the United States on a student visa, Ms. DeLeon appreciated his encouragement of legal immigration.
President Trump said that the world and the nation were safer “because we had strong borders” during his tenure, he said. “Now we have the weakest borders we’ve ever had.”
But President Trump promised he would restore strong borders—but people need to “get out and vote” in 2024.
“This is the most important election in the history of our country. Because if we don’t win this election, I really believe you’re not going to have Israel anymore,” he said, “and you’re not going to have the United States of America anymore.”
