Morning Glory: Donald Trump supports Israel
Former (and I think future) President Donald Trump is the best interview in the U.S. because unlike almost every other political figure, Trump answers the questions asked and tells you exactly what he thinks.
Trump was back on my radio show Wednesday morning. My focus was on Israel and that led to this long exchange:
"HH: Do you think President Biden and Secretary Blinken have held Israel back? Are they making Israel basically fight to a draw?
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DJT: I think that Israel’s being hurt very badly by the Democrats. I think they’re making it very hard for the Democrats to win, very, very hard for the Democrats, what they’re doing, what they’re doing with respect to Israel, what the Democrats are doing, they’re making it very hard for Israel to win.
If you take a look at the stance, the other side is saying just hold out. If they hold out, they know they’re going to win, because so much pressure is being put on Israel. Right now, Israel, the pressure that’s being put on them by Biden and Schumer, who’s frankly, you know, Schumer is, like is he a member of Hamas? Is he a Palestinian?
I don’t know, how would a Jewish person contribute to Democrats right now? They have to finish the job. Israel has to finish the job, get it done, and get it done fast. And they have to do it. They have to get it done fast.
HH: Now Mr. President, if Iran hit them again…
DJT: There are a lot of people that are saying October 7th, there are a lot of people are saying October 7th never existed, that it never existed. It never took place. That’s starting. They used to say the Holocaust never took place.
HH: I know. There are crazy…
DJT: There’s never been a moment like this.
HH: There are crazy people out there.
DJT: There’s never been a moment like this for Jewish people.
HH: If Iran hits Israel a second time, do you want Israel to hit them back much, much harder than they did the first time, because Biden said take the win? I couldn’t believe he said that, but he said "Take the win." It wasn’t a win. A Bedouin girl got injured, and they took 300 missiles. Would you urge Israel to hit back hard?
DJT: They have no choice. Otherwise, this is never going to end. They have no choice. There has to be retribution. And it’s going to have to take place. And the worst thing they have going is Biden. Now, he’s out at a beach again someplace."
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Then I asked him about Vice President Kamala Harris’ snubbing of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, and Trump blasted the Veep for skipping the address to Congress by the democratically elected leader of Israel. Trump also blasted campus antisemitism here in the U.S., and when asked if Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro was kept off the ticket with Harris because he’s Jewish, Trump was succinct: "100%"
This is clarity. This is full-throated support for Israel. And it should flip friends of Israel in America, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, into the Trump column this fall.
The dean of grand strategy theorists in the United States is Walter Russell Mead. His most recent book is "The Arc of a Covenant," and it is a detailed, riveting review of the U.S.-Israel relationship since the founding of the Jewish State in 1948.
In the hour before Trump appeared with me, I asked if Russell agreed that Trump was the equal of any president in support for Israel, including Harry Truman who ordered the U.S. vote to recognize Israel when the issue came to the U.N. Mead surprised me by stating unequivocally that Trump is the strongest supporter of Israel ever, including Truman (whom Mead noted maintained an arms embargo against Israel.)
The major issues in this election are inflation, immigration and Israel. It’s really not a close call on any of these and polling shows it. But on the question of which candidate would be a stronger ally to Israel and an enemy to anti-Semitism in the U.S., there isn’t even a plausible argument or answer other than "Trump. Of course."
Hugh Hewitt is host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.