{"id":24770,"date":"2015-06-29T10:19:04","date_gmt":"2015-06-29T16:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=24770"},"modified":"2015-06-29T10:19:04","modified_gmt":"2015-06-29T16:19:04","slug":"donald-trump-says-he-is-no-apprentice-when-it-comes-to-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/donald-trump-says-he-is-no-apprentice-when-it-comes-to-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump says he is no apprentice when it comes to Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By JACOB KAMARAS, <em>Exclusive to JNS.org<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the middle of a phone interview with <em>JNS.org<\/em> on June 26, billionaire real estate mogul and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump leaves his desk to scan the wall of his office for awards he has received from the Jewish community.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_24771\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Trump_donald.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24771\" class=\"wp-image-24771 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Trump_donald-300x175.jpg\" alt=\"Trump_donald\" width=\"300\" height=\"175\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Trump_donald-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Trump_donald.jpg 500w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/175;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-24771\" class=\"wp-image-24771 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Trump_donald-300x175.jpg\" alt=\"Trump_donald\" width=\"300\" height=\"175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Trump_donald-300x175.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/Trump_donald.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-24771\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Donald Trump speaks at the South Carolina Freedom Summit on May 9, 2015. (Credit: Michael Vadon via Wikimedia Commons.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Trump reads the text of some relevant plaques before returning to his desk. But before this reporter can move on to the next question, Trump eagerly points out that he was the grand marshal of New York City\u2019s annual Salute to Israel Parade (now the Celebrate Israel Parade) in 2004 \u201cat a time when it was quite dangerous to do that\u201d and \u201ca pretty tough time for Israel,\u201d in the middle of the second Palestinian intifada (uprising against Israel). He also cites a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tm5Je73bYOY\">video endorsement<\/a> he gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the Jewish state\u2019s January 2013 election, expressing pride that it was \u201cat the time the only ad done by a celebrity\u201d for Netanyahu<\/p>\n<p>What does all of this have to do with the 2016 American presidential election? President Barack Obama won 78 percent of Jewish votes when he was first elected in 2008, and despite a rocky relationship with Israel when compared to most other U.S. presidents, he garnered 69 percent of the Jewish vote in 2012. Trump, however, touts his close relationship with Israel and the Jewish community as the reason he believes he can outperform Republican contenders of both the past and present among Jewish voters<\/p>\n<p>How close, in fact, is Trump\u2019s relationship with Judaism? Unlike the name of his reality TV show, he is no apprentice when it comes to the Jewish faith. Trump\u2019s daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism in 2009, and her observance of Shabbat with her husband Jared Kushner (a well-known real estate developer as well as the owner and publisher of the <em>New York Observer <\/em>newspaper) is well-documented.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have great respect for [the Shabbat traditions], and I see Ivanka during Saturday, and from Friday evening on through Saturday night, she won\u2019t take phone calls and they live a very interesting life,\u201d Trump said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s actually a beautiful thing to watch, with Jared and Ivanka. In a very hectic life, it really becomes a very peaceful time. So there\u2019s something very nice about it.<\/p>\n<p>There are already 13 declared Republican presidential candidates, and many of them are publicly expressing support for Israel, but Trump argues\u2014in his typically brash and blunt fashion\u2014that his history with the Jewish people and the Jewish state can set him apart from the rest of the crowded GOP field<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only [candidate] that\u2019s going to give real support to Israel is me,\u201d said the 69-year-old Trump. \u201cThe rest of them are all talk, no action. They\u2019re politicians. I\u2019ve been loyal to Israel from the day I was born. My father, Fred Trump, was loyal to Israel before me. The only one that\u2019s going to give Israel the kind of support it needs is Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Below is the rest of Trump\u2019s interview with<em> JNS.org<\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>JNS: What is your assessment of President Obama<\/strong><strong>\u2019<\/strong><strong>s record on Israel?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donald Trump: <\/strong>\u201cI think President Obama is one of the worst things that\u2019s ever happened to Israel. I think he\u2019s set back [Israeli] relations with the United States terribly, and for people and friends of mine who are Jewish, I don\u2019t know how they can support President Obama. He has been very bad for Israel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What<\/strong><strong>\u2019<\/strong><strong>s your experience with Israel<\/strong><strong>\u2019<\/strong><strong>s business community, which has earned the country the well-known <\/strong><strong>\u2018<\/strong><strong>start-up nation<\/strong><strong>\u2019<\/strong> <strong>nickname<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know so many people from Israel. I have so many friends in Israel. First of all, the Israelis are great businesspeople. They have a natural instinct for business and their start-ups are fantastic. I deal with the Israelis all the time, and I deal with people who are Jewish all the time, whether they are Israeli or not.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Knowing what you know from negotiations in the business world, how would you approach the current nuclear talks with Iran?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would double-up and triple-up the sanctions, and I would make them (the Iranians) want to make a deal. Right now they\u2019re just toying with us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What would a good deal with Iran look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019d have to have onsite inspections anytime, anywhere, to start off with, which we don\u2019t have at all. The whole deal is a terrible deal. There\u2019s no way the Iranians are going to adhere to any deal we make. And if you don\u2019t have onsite inspections anytime, anywhere, they (the P5+1 nations) shouldn\u2019t make the deal. And right now I think they\u2019re just tapping the United States along. We (America) have a bunch of babies negotiating. We don\u2019t have good negotiators. They have great negotiators, and they\u2019re making us look like fools.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do you think about America funding the Palestinian Authority to the tune of $500 million per year<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not exactly thrilled by it. It\u2019s obvious. We have to help people that respect us, that want things to be done and properly done. Not just there (the Palestinian Authority), we\u2019re giving money to all sorts of groups and people and countries that take advantage of the United States, so it\u2019s something that I\u2019m not thrilled about.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your recent remarks on Mexican immigrants <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.eonline.com\/news\/670384\/donald-trump-s-mexican-immigrant-comment-backlash-j-balvin-cancels-miss-usa-performance-univision-cuts-ties\">ignited controversy<\/a><strong>. Do you stand by your comments, or would you like to clarify them, for the Jewish voters out there who might prioritize immigration as an election issue?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have great respect for Mexico and I love the Mexican people. I have many friendships in Mexico and with Mexican people. But Mexico is totally out-negotiating the United States, at our borders and with respect to foreign trade. The people that are coming into this country, and not only from Mexico, many of these people\u2014not all\u2014but many are not people that we should let into the country, which obviously is just common sense. Since I\u2019ve made that statement, I\u2019ve been greeted with tremendous support, from so many people in the United States. We either have to have a border, or we don\u2019t have a country.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you won the Republican presidential primary, who would you choose as a running mate?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo early to say. We\u2019re doing very well, but we\u2019ll see what happens. I will be looking and watching, but it\u2019s just too early to say.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you feel to see the Chinese government actually <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2015\/06\/donald-trump-china-jobs-119099.html\">respond<\/a><strong> to your comments accu<\/strong><strong>s<\/strong><strong>ing that country of stealing American jobs through currency manipulation?<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cLook, China is like Mexico. They\u2019re taking advantage of the United States. They\u2019re laughing all the way to the bank. Of course they\u2019re going to respond, and they said essentially, \u2018Oh no, we love our trading partner, the United States.\u2019 Well of course they should love us, they\u2019re making a fortune off of us. But we make nothing off of them. We get nothing out of that deal, believe me. That would change if I become president.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What broader principles should America apply to any negotiations, whether it be with Iran, China, Mexico, or other nations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would have the best negotiators in the world, and we have them in this country, I know many of them. I know the good ones, I know the bad ones, I know the overrated ones, I know the ones that think they\u2019re good but they\u2019re not. We would have our best people and our smartest people negotiating deals for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Donald%20Trump%20says%20he%20is%20no%20apprentice%20when%20it%20comes%20to%20Israel\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1781,8790,8795,8788,1114],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24772,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24770\/revisions\/24772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}