WASHINGTON — Less than two months before he hopes to be reelected president, and shortly before the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Donald Trump will address the Israeli American Council’s national convention.
The announcement of next week’s speech comes as Republicans have ramped up their efforts to attract Jewish voters following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel and anti-Israel protests across the country, many of which have included progressive groups. Recent polls show that a large majority of Jews plan to vote for Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, though Jewish Republican activists say the Jewish vote will be closer in swing states.
The IAC conference, which Trump also addressed as president in 2019, is one of the relatively few Jewish venues in the United States where he can expect to get a friendly reception. The group is led by Elan Carr, who served as the envoy to combat antisemitism during Trump’s presidency. Its lead donor, casino magnate Miriam Adelson, is also one of Trump’s biggest contributors. She has pledged at least $90 million to get him back to the White House.
This will be the third speech focused on Jews that Trump has given in a setting with, or tied to, Adelson. Last month, he gave an address on antisemitism at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where she introduced him, and earlier this month he gave a speech via satellite to the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual conference at a resort in Las Vegas that she owns.
Trump has sought to portray himself as friendlier to Israel than Harris, and has frequently touted his record on Israel as president, mentioning policies such as his moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and brokering normalization accords between Israel and neighboring countries. At the RJC speech, and at this week’s debate with Harris, he also predicted that Israel would be destroyed if she is elected — a claim that consternated even some of his pro-Israel supporters.
Trump got a robust welcome the last time he spoke to the IAC in 2019, where he said, as he often does, that American Jews are flawed for not supporting him in greater numbers for his pro-Israel policies. More recently, he has taken to accusing Jewish Democrats of being mentally ill, an allegation that helped spark an escalating war of words between Democratic and Republican Jewish activists.
Trump’s address will be live and in person, a spokesman for the IAC said. The conference runs from next Thursday to next Saturday in Washington, D.C., and a specific date and time for his appearance has yet to be made public.
The IAC has also invited Harris to speak, as well as President Joe Biden. Neither has so for responded.
The IAC and the Trump campaign touted the appearance in an identical press release sent Friday.
“The Summit will also focus on Jewish identity, the fight against antisemitism, Israeli technology and innovation, the U.S.-Israel alliance, and other aspects of the Jewish and Israeli-American experience,” the release said.
Also appearing are New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the fourth-ranked Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives who has taken a leading role at congressional hearings on campus antisemitism; New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, perhaps the most outspoken pro-Israel Democrat in Congress; and Deborah Lipstadt, the Biden administration’s antisemitism envoy.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
