Former President Donald Trump, addressing a group of donors in New York City, pledged to expel pro-Palestinian student protesters from the US, likening campus unrest to the buildup before the Holocaust, according to attendees. Trump promised a crackdown on demonstrations, telling the private gathering, "One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country. You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they're going to behave."
"If you come here from another country and try to bring jihadism or anti-Americanism or antisemitism to our campuses, we will immediately deport you, you'll be out of that school," he said on May 11 to a crowd in New Jersey.
When a donor raised concerns about protesters potentially gaining positions of power, Trump branded them part of a "radical revolution" he vowed to defeat. He praised the New York Police Department's response at Columbia University, stating, "It has to be stopped now. "He also assured the group, "Well, if you get me elected, and you should really be doing this if you get me reelected, we're going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years."
The former president's comments offer insight into his stance on Israel, despite publicly wavering on whether the country should continue its war in Gaza. Speaking privately, Trump affirmed Israel's "right to continue 'its war on terror'" and boasted of his pro-Israel policies during his presidency, such as moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing the Golan Heights.
He avoided mentioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom he has not spoken in years due to Netanyahu acknowledging Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, a move that angered Trump.
While Trump claimed the Hamas attack that sparked the Gaza war would never have occurred under his leadership, he also talked about the war's implications on Israel's image, telling radio host Hugh Hewitt that Israel was "absolutely losing the PR war." However, at the donor event, Trump backed Israel's offensive, stating, "But I'm one of the only people that says that now, and a lot of people don't even know what Oct. 7 is." The former president also cast doubt on the viability of a two-state solution in a recent Time interview, departing from longstanding US policy.
Trump had also expressed frustration that Jewish Americans did not vote for him in greater numbers, remarking, "But how can a Jewish person vote for a Democrat, and Biden in particular — but forget Biden. They always let you down."
Regarding Netanyahu, Trump said, "Bibi Netanyahu rightfully has been criticized for what took place on Oct. 7," referring to the government's failure to prevent the Hamas terrorist attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis and took 253 hostages.
His annoyance with Netanyahu stems from a perceived lack of credit for his pro-Israel policies, said John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser. "He doesn't like Netanyahu … it's because Bibi is one of the premier democratic politicians in the world in terms of getting publicity about himself and Trump resents that," Bolton said. While their relationship was close until 2020, a person familiar with the leaders' conversations said Trump was "taken aback" by Netanyahu's congratulatory video to Biden.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, declined to directly address Trump's comments on Israel, stating, "We can have our opinions about our allies but I think they're in the middle of a fight for their life, there'll be plenty of time for the accountability to be had." Matthew Brooks, chief executive of the Republican Jewish Coalition, defended Trump's stance, saying, "He's giving the Israelis a blank check to go in and do what they need to do to destroy Hamas and eliminate the threat in Gaza from Hamas. And what he's also saying, which is actually true, he said 'but do it quickly' because time is not Israel's ally right now," referring to Israel Hayom's interview with Trump in March, in which he said Israel has "to finish up" the war, "To finish it up. You gotta get it done. And, I am sure you will do that. And we gotta get to peace, we can't have this going on."
At the donor event, Trump drew a parallel to the pre-Holocaust era, stating, "And you know, you go back through history, this is like just before the Holocaust. I swear. If you look, it's the same thing. You had a weak president or head of the country. And it just built and built. And then, all of a sudden, you ended up with Hitler. You ended up with a problem like nobody knew."
