Trump vows to bring back travel ban, bar refugees from Gaza
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Throughout the speech, presidential nominee Donald Trump suggested his backing for Israel should result in better political support among Jewish Americans.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – Former US president Donald Trump vowed to reinstate his travel ban that barred people from some predominantly Muslim countries and expand it to prevent refugees from war-torn Gaza from entering the United States.
“I will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip, and we will seal our border and bring back the travel ban,” he said on Sept 19 evening in Washington at an event alongside Republican donor and billionaire Miriam Adelson.
“Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world,” he said.
“We are not taking them from infested countries.”
Trump initially put in place a version of his travel ban
Judges blocked the initial ban, but changes to the policy eventually led to it being upheld by the US Supreme Court
The Republican presidential nominee’s remarks came at an event focused on combating anti-Semitism as he sought to enhance his outreach to Jewish voters before November’s election against Vice-President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent.
Throughout the speech, he frequently suggested his backing for Israel should result in better political support among Jewish Americans.
He repeatedly complained he had not “been treated right” because polls showed a majority of Jewish Americans supported his opponent, and said that he believed “Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss” in the presidential election.
“There is no way that I should be getting 40 per cent of the vote. I am the one who is protecting you,” he said.
At one point, he suggested that Israel itself should defeat Ms Harris. “More than any people on earth, Israel has to defeat her,” he said.
He added that Israel’s very existence could hinge on the election.
“If I don’t win, I believe Israel will be eradicated,” he said.
He has repeatedly come under criticism for remarks asserting that American Jews ought to be unquestioningly supportive of the Israeli government.
In an interview in March, Trump accused Jewish people who support Democrats of hating their religion and Israel.
He has sought to seize on divisions among Democrats over Israel’s war against Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the US and European Union.
In a July radio interview, he attacked Ms Harris, saying she “doesn’t like Jewish people” and that she had appeared annoyed during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
When the radio host criticised Ms Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, calling him a “crappy Jew”, Trump responded, “Yeah”.
Mr Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of a US president or vice-president, and has been a vocal advocate against anti-Semitism, including leading the administration’s strategy on the issue.
After Trump’s speech on Sept 19, Ms Amy Spitalnick, chief executive of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, issued a rebuke of his remarks.
“Trump continues to label Jews who don’t support him as disloyal and crazy, to play into dangerous dual loyalty tropes, and to blame Jews for a potential electoral loss,” she said. “At the same time, he continues to normalise anti-Semitic extremism.”
Trump has drawn criticism for interactions with anti-Semites and white supremacists, including a dinner at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022 with Mr Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier.
A Pew Research Centre survey conducted from Aug 26 to Sept 2 found that 65 per cent of Jewish registered voters support or are leaning toward Ms Harris, with 34 per cent for Trump.
The war in Gaza has presented a political challenge for Ms Harris, with progressives and younger voters critical of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel.
While backing Israel’s right to defend itself, Ms Harris has expressed more empathy for Palestinian suffering than Mr Biden during the war. BLOOMBERG
