Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his closing statement during a presidential debate hosted by ABC with Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., Sept. 10, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – In a feisty, combative, some might even say explosive 90-minute debate on Tuesday night in Philadelphia, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump battled over a wide range of issues, Israel and the future of the Middle East among them.
In addition to calling Harris a “Marxist” whose economic policies would bankrupt the United States, Trump repeatedly accused Harris of hating Israel.
Trump argued that Harris’ lack of experience and bad policies pose an existential threat to the Jewish state.
“She hates Israel,” Trump told ABC News anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis, speaking of Harris.
“She wouldn’t even meet with Netanyahu when he went to Congress to make a very important speech,” he noted. “She refused to be there because she was at a sorority party of hers. She wanted to go to the sorority party.”
“She hates Israel. If she is president, I believe Israel will not exist within two years from now. And I’ve been pretty good at predictions, but I hope I’m wrong on that one.”
“She hates Israel,” Trump said a third time.
“At the same time, in her own way, she hates the Arab population, because the whole place is going to get blown up – Arabs, Jewish people, Israel. Israel will be gone.”
“IRAN WAS BROKE UNDER DONALD TRUMP”
Speaking of the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and the slaughter of 1,200 Israeli men, women, and children – and the war that rages on almost one year later – the former president argued that “it would have never happened” had he still been president because the Iranian regime would not have had the money or wherewithal to help Hamas.
“Iran was broke under Donald Trump,” he said.
“Now Iran has $300 billion because they took off all the sanctions that I had. Iran had no money for Hamas, or Hezbollah, or any of the 28 different spheres of terror. And they are, spheres of terror. Horrible terror. They had no money. It was a big story, and you know it. You covered it – pretty well, actually – they had no money for terror. They were broke.”
“Now, they [Iran] are a rich nation. And now what they’re doing is they’re spreading that money around. Look at what’s happening with the Houthis and Yemen. Look at what’s going on in the Middle East.”
TRUMP PROMISES TO END MIDDLE EAST WARS AND WAR IN UKRAINE
Trump vowed to restore peace and security not only to the Middle East but to Europe, as well.
“I will get that settled fast,” said of Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“And I’ll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended,” he added.
“If I’m president-elect, I’ll get it done before even becoming president.”
Trump did not explain how he would accomplish this.
TRUMP: “ANY JEWISH PERSON THAT VOTES FOR HARRIS SHOULD HAVE THEIR HEAD EXAMINED”
After the debate, an Israeli journalist spoke to Trump in the hallway.
The former president was exuberant, boasting that he had decisively won the debate.
“Great debate tonight – this was my best debate,” Trump said.
“We had a 92% rating in one poll. We had an 86% rating in another. We had 77% in another. We won every one of the polls that came out tonight and there were quite a few of them.”
Neria Kraus, a correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13, asked the former president, “What do you have to say about the hostages and about the war in Gaza, please?”
“It’s a shame,” Trump replied.
“Biden and Kamala have done a terrible job. Terrible job. Any Jewish person that votes for these people should have their head examined.”
