Trump Says He Will Help Israel Survive ‘for Thousands of Years’

Former President and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump live-broadcasts to a gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 5, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Former President Donald Trump said at the Republican Jewish Coalition Leadership Summit on Thursday that he is committed to helping the State of Israel survive for the long haul.

“I will put America first. I will keep America safe, and I will work with you to make sure that Israel is with us for thousands of years,” he told an enthusiastic crowd at the Venetian Las Vegas.

Speaking via remote live broadcast from New York amid his election case there, Trump predicted that he will get about half of the Jewish vote in the coming election.

A Sienna College poll of likely voters in New York state from July 28 to Aug. 1 found 50 percent of Jewish voters would support Trump over Harris. Nationally, a survey from the American Jewish Committee before Harris entered the race found 61 percent of Jewish people said they would vote for President Joe Biden over 23 percent for Trump.

According to the Jewish Virtual Library, Trump received 30 percent of the Jewish vote in 2020 and 24 percent in 2016.

Continuing a theme on the campaign trail, Trump questioned how Jewish voters could support his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Attendee holds up a sign at the 2024 Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 5, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

He suggested that if he had been serving a second term these past few years, he would have expanded support for the Abraham Accords.

“Everyone, every country, virtually, would have been signed into the Abraham Accords,” he said.

Trump spoke after Dr. Miriam Adelson, widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who created the Venetian Las Vegas.

The Adelsons have been major financial supporters of Trump during his presidential candidacies.

Favors add to the atmosphere at the 2024 Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 5, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Speaking at the event, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) made his chamber’s candidates and fundraising landscape a theme. He pointed out that the Senate map, which has many more Democrats defending seats than Republicans, is favorable to his party. The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia predicts the GOP will take the Senate.

“We won’t see a map like this for the rest of the decade,” he said, describing Harris as adept at raising money.

The campaign recently announced it would direct $25 million to down-ballot contests.

Other speakers on Thursday morning included Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, talk show host Mark Levin, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), and Auburn College men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who praised Evangelical Christians for their support of Israel.

American Jewish conservative commentator Mark Levin speaks at a gathering of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sept. 5, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Democrat Pledges Support to Trump

One group of speakers on Sept. 5 was made up of Jewish ex-Democrats.

However, Harvard graduate Shabbos Kestenbaum said he didn’t quite fit into that category. He told the crowd at the Venetian that he supported the Green New Deal and similar left-wing policy positions along with Rep. Richie Torres (D-N.Y.), a pro-Israel Democrat.

Democrat Shabbos Kestenbaum (R) and former Democrat Maren Faiella speak at the 2024 Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., on Sept. 5, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Yet, he said that he could not endorse Harris for president, criticizing the absence of an “ironclad commitment to security to the State of Israel.”

Kestenbaum closed by throwing his support behind Trump.

“The Democratic Party has taken the Jewish vote and Jewish voters for granted for far too long,” he said.