T. Belman. Trump’s money quote, “if we would have done nothing with Iraq and Libya and other places, we would be better off.” and another, “When missiles are being shot at a country, whether Israel or any other country, I don’t know what ‘disproportionate force’ is supposed to mean.” and another via his lawyer, “I think the settlements should stay but I think they have to work something out so that both sides are able to live in peace and safety.”
New York — There were a few things Donald Trump made clear when he met Thursday with a select group of Jewish reporters, almost all of them Orthodox, at his corporate offices in Manhattan.
Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was the one who initiated Wednesday’s one-on-one powwow with Trump to mend fences, not him. He’s a great friend of Israel. He has many Orthodox Jewish friends, including his chief lawyer, Jason D. Greenblatt. And he considers himself a very loyal boss.
But in a 20-minute question-and-answer session that touched on religious liberty in the workplace, US foreign policy in the Middle East and federal education tax credits, Trump offered scant details.
On some substantive policy questions, the Republican front-runner for president didn’t answer at all, instead delegating the question to Greenblatt, a real estate attorney from Teaneck, New Jersey — one of two people he said he’d appoint as his White House Israel policy advisers.
[..]
On a question about Jewish settlements in the West Bank, Trump turned to Greenblatt and said, “How do you feel about that, Jason, the settlements?”
Greenblatt: “I think the settlements should stay but I think they have to work something out so that both sides are able to live in peace and safety.”
Next question.
There were some issues on which Trump offered a glimpse into what kind of presidency he’d run. He named two men he said would be his chief advisers on Israel: Greenblatt and another real estate lawyer, bankruptcy expert David M. Friedman of the Kasowitz law firm.
“I don’t think I can find better,” Trump said. “Jason’s very much a consultant to me on Israel, on everything. He’s a tremendously talented lawyer, one of the great real estate lawyers of the City of New York, and he has tremendous passion for Israel. When he goes on vacation, he goes to Israel.”
Trump did field some Israel questions himself. He said he supports a strong Israeli response to rocket attacks: “When missiles are being shot at a country, whether Israel or any other country, I don’t know what ‘disproportionate force’ is supposed to mean.”
He said he likes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though he was disappointed by Netanyahu’s public rejection last December of Trump’s comments about barring Muslims from entering the United States. Trump clarified that it was he who canceled his planned visit to Israel last December, not Netanyahu.
In response to a question from JTA, Trump said the world would be much better off if Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Muamar Gadhafi of Libya had been left in power rather than ousted by US-led attacks.
“We had Saddam Hussein, who was not a good man, but you would have been a lot better off if that wasn’t done, because now you’ve destabilized the entire Middle East,” Trump said.
“If our elected officials went to the beach and didn’t do anything, the Middle East would be a lot better right now,” he said. “It’s worse than it’s ever been. You look at the migration, you look at what’s going on in Europe, you look at all of the problems. So we don’t believe in authoritarian, but the fact is that if we would have done nothing with Iraq and Libya and other places, we would be better off.”
It was one of the few substantive policy responses during the meeting. Trump spent a chunk of time speaking – unsolicited — about his loyalty to his chief spokesman, Corey Lewandowski, who was charged with battery after an aggressive encounter with a reporter at a campaign event last month. Lewandowski interrupted to inform Trump that he had just learned that the case against him had been dropped.
“Oh, good,” Trump said. “Tell my friends from, in some cases Israel, how loyal was Mr. Trump to you, Corey? I’m proud of you Corey, you took it. It wasn’t easy.”
One of the first things Trump did when he sat down in the sunny corner conference room at Trump Tower and saw that almost all the 20 or so faces around the room were Orthodox Jews was summon some Orthodox Jews of his own to the room.
It was an exchange reminiscent of a memorable scene in the first episode of “Mad Men,” in which the heads of the 1950s Madison Avenue advertising agency try to figure out if they have any token Jewish employees to be in the room for a meeting with a potential Jewish client. The agency ends up digging up a Jewish guy from the mailroom.
Trump’s go-to Jew is an executive vice president at The Trump Organization.
“The Orthodox community is amazing. I grew up in Brooklyn, as you know. Ocean Parkway. And I’ve had many, many friends over the years Orthodox, in fact people that work for me,” Trump said. “In fact, maybe I can get Jason Greenblatt down here. Jason is a person that has been so good, he’s a lawyer, he’s so incredible and he’s Orthodox.
“Will you do that Corey?” Trump said to his campaign spokesman. “And you know who else? David Cohen. That’ll be great. So they’ll come down for a couple minutes. Very talented people. Really great people.”
Trump also talked about his Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who helped write the pro-Israel speech Trump delivered last month to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, DC, Copies of the speech were handed out to all the participants before the meeting.
“You probably know, many of you, Jared Kushner, who’s my son-in-law, and he’s happily married to my daughter Ivanka,” Trump said. “So he sends his warmest regards, and she does.”
Trump showed some grace toward the two Democratic candidates for president, criticizing the New York Daily News after its bruising interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., last week and noting at one point that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, too, expresses strong pro-Israel rhetoric.
“She’s been saying strongly in favor of Israel and so do I. The difference is I’ll produce, she’s not going to produce,” he said. “She’s not a trustworthy person. She’s going to be a third term of Obama.”
Trump was withering when it came to the Daily News.
“I’m no fan of Bernie Sanders, but I will say the Daily News did a big number on him,” Trump said. “But I have to tell you the Daily News is a very dishonest newspaper. They’re failing. They’ll be out of business very shortly. In fact, I hear they’re going online very soon.”
Trump talked briefly about his Jewish philanthropy, mentioning that his father used to buy Israel bonds, and wrapped up the meeting reiterating his befuddlement about why Jews are so supportive of President Barack Obama.
“In my opinion, Barack Obama has been tremendously disloyal to Israel, and yet my Jewish friends go out and have fundraisers for him all the time,” Trump said. “Someday you people will explain to me what you’re doing.”
@ Felix Quigley:
All things considered, I want a president of the United States who will put America first. Which will also mean that Israel will need to govern itself strictly in accordance with Israeli national interests.
In any case, Trump always says exactly what is on his mind, while Cruz pulls sneaky tricks to steal delegates he did not earn with actual votes.
Arnold Harris, Outspeaker
Cruz is saying I will look after Israel. Trump is saying I will look after America and you Israel look after yourself.
There is the perspective of equals for the first time.
Elect cruz and the elites in both countries will strengthen. In Israel the surrender to jihad will intensify. It is already far gone.
The coming presidential election is not about the State of Israel. It is about the United States of America.
America’s problems can only be resolved and its future assured by an American nationalist government that will undertake radical changes in our immigration policies, our foreign trade policies, our need to undertake pay-down of this country’s stupendous and unsustainable national debt, the vital need to re-industrialize this country’s economy, and other elements of governance. economy and society unique to this country.
Israel’s problems can only be resolved and its future assured by bringing to power a Jewish nationalist government that will undertake whatever steps are needed to render the Jewish state independent not only of the United States, but also of the UNO, NATO, and the EU, and will undertake closer trade, defense, and diplomatic relations with Russia, China, India, and Russia’s allied states in southeastern Europe.
Israel shall never and can never have peaceful neighborly relations with any Arab or other Moslem group which claims suzerainty over Eretz Yisrael.
Nobody in the world can negotiate any arrangements that can simultaneously satisfy the historic rights of the Jewish nation, the Moslem world in general, and the local Arab clans in particular. Israel itself must force the issue by taking airtight control of the land,or look forward to a time when the Jewish nation will be broken by the Arabs as the world looks on and does nothing.
All things considered, I could not care less what Trump, Cruz, Kasich, Clinton, Sanders or any other would-be contenders really think of Israel and the Jews in contrast to what they say they think of matters Jewish and/or Israeli.
Arnold Harris, Outspeaker
How much pro-IL can you be with Max, Sidney, Huma, the MBs and MSs etc…?
Trump does not get it??? Liberal Jews are NOT for Israel!!!
What is the matter with Dov? Is he afraid to tell D. T. the way it is?