Former President Trump said Monday Israel has to “get smart” about supporting him and suggested Jewish people have not adequately backed him after he took several pro-Israel actions while in office.
Trump phoned into conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt’s show to mark the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people and set off a war between Israel and the group that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Asked if he thought Israel would be able to fully recover after its war with Hamas, Trump said the country “would be good.”
“I think that Israel has to do one thing. They have to get smart about Trump, because they don’t back me,” Trump said. “I did more for Israel than anybody. I did more for the Jewish people than anybody. And it’s not reciprocal, as they say, not reciprocal.”
Trump has repeatedly touted himself as a pro-Israel president, citing his decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, his recognition of the Golan Heights territory and the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab nations.
But the former president has also drawn backlash for attacking Jewish voters who do not support him. He has suggested Jews who back Democrats should “have their head examined,” and he recently posited that Jewish voters would be partly to blame if he does not win in November.
Trump also told Hewitt on Monday that he would be supportive of Israel striking back at Iran following an Iranian missile attack last week.
“Well, you want to do what they want to do. Now they may be making a deal with Iran right now. You know, to be honest with you, because Iran’s not looking so good,” Trump said.
“They could be doing some very smart things right now. There are a lot of things they can do,” he added. “But the nice thing is they’re entitled to an attack, and nobody will be upset if they attack, because they’re entitled.”
