Former President Donald Trump promised during his 78th birthday celebration Friday to construct an Israel-style missile defense system for the United States if elected to a second term in office.
Addressing supporters at Club 47, Trump drew inspiration from the Iron Dome and promised to erect "a great" equivalent over the US. "By next term, we will build a great Iron Dome over our country," he declared. "We deserve a dome. We deserve it all, made state-of-the-art."
Trump emphasized that the proposed missile shield would be entirely American-made. "It's a missile defense shield, and it'll all be made in America," he told the crowd. He touted the economic opportunities such a project would create, stating, "Jobs, jobs, jobs."
The former president also recalled that while in the late 1980s, then-President Ronald Reagan envisioned a similar system during his presidency, the necessary technology was not yet available. "We now have the technology," Trump asserted.
According to Trump, the domestic manufacturing of the missile defense components would provide "beautiful" job prospects for young Americans across multiple states. "It's all going to be made in states," he said. "We're going to have a big, beautiful Iron Dome."
Israel's Iron Dome has been highly effective in intercepting short-range rockets and artillery fired from up to 43 miles away. Operational since 2011, the system has successfully neutralized threats from Palestinian terrorist groups, Iranian drones, and missiles.
Trump's proposal aligns with his longstanding "America First" agenda, prioritizing domestic manufacturing and job creation within the United States.
