Former President Trump reportedly told a private gathering of New York donors earlier this month that he will stop the “radical revolution” happening at American college campuses if elected president again.
The presumptive Republican nominee also vowed that he would throw foreign students protesting against Israel “out of the country,” The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing donors who spoke on condition of anonymity. The gathering happened on May 14 and included “98 percent of my Jewish friends,” Trump reportedly joked.
“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,” Trump said, according to the Post.
When the donors expressed concern that anti-Israel students and professors would one day hold positions of power in the U.S., Trump reportedly said they were part of a “radical revolution.”
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Former President Donald Trump on May 23, 2024, in the Bronx, New York City. (Andrea Renault/Star Max/GC Images)
“It has to be stopped now,” Trump said of the protests, praising the New York Police Department’s handling of the encampment at Columbia University, adding that other cities should follow suit.
“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,” he said, according to the donors who spoke to the Post.
Trump also reportedly told the wealthy New York donors at the closed-door event that he supports Israel’s right to continue “its war on terror” and praised his White House’s policies on Israel.
Trump did not, however, mention Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name. He reportedly hasn’t spoken to Netanyahu in years since the Israeli prime minister recognized President Biden’s 2020 victory.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee has faced pressure from GOP donors in recent months to take a stronger stance in support of Israel and specifically, Netanyahu.
In April, Trump notably said during an interview with conservative talk show radio host Hugh Hewitt that Israel, regarding its war in Gaza, needs to “get it over with, and let’s get back to peace and stop killing people.”
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in the Oval Office on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Asked about the donors’ description of the New York event, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, issued a broad statement to the Post.
“When President Trump is back in the Oval Office, Israel will once again be protected, Iran will go back to being broke, terrorists will be hunted down, and the bloodshed will end,” Leavitt said.
Former President Donald Trump, center, during a campaign event at Crotona Park in the Bronx, New York, on Thursday, May 23, 2024. (Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
While claiming anti-Israel demonstrations seen across the country get smaller crowds than his rallies, Trump said that “Israel is losing its power” in Washington, D.C., particularly in Congress.
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“It’s incredible,” Trump added, questioning how Jewish people could vote for Democrats, specifically Biden.
“They always let you down,” he said.
