Trump: They keep having elections, nobody’s elected
At a private event for Orthodox Jewish donors, US President Donald Trump joked about Israel’s election deadlock in which the country has held two elections this year that have yielded inconclusive results.
“What kind of a system is it over there, with Bibi?” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu. “They’re all fighting and fighting. We have different kinds of fights, but at least we know who the boss is. They keep having elections, and nobody’s elected.”
The fund-raiser, hosted by the America First Super PAC and held on Tuesday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Manhattan, featured a packed room of Trump supporters who chanted: “Four more years!” as Trump took the podium.
Before speaking, Trump was blessed by Rabbi Y.Y. Jacobson.
“Blessed are you our Lord, King of the universe, that you have shared of your glory and love and compassion with a human being who maintains the honor of every innocent person and Jew. Thank you, amen,” Jacobson said.
Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, as well as special representative for international negotiations Avi Berkowitz, also attended the event.
Trump said he had an approval rating of 98% in Israel, and quipped that “if anything happens here, I’m taking a trip over to Israel. I’ll be prime minister.”
He also said that he was able to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem because he purposely did not call back Arab leaders who opposed the move.
“Just tell them I’m very busy, I’ll call them back,” he said. “And then I did it, we got it done, it’s done. And then I announced it, and then I went into the office, I made about 25 calls .... I said, ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s done already; there’s nothing I could do about it.’ It’s much easier. I say, ‘I’m sorry, I wish I could have gotten back to you sooner.’”
Trump also mentioned his recognition of the Golan Heights, and the decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement.
He acknowledged Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s missile attacks on Israel, as well.