In an interview with an Israeli publication published Wednesday, Donald Trump said that he’s never heard of any Israelis critical of him.
Israel HaYom, owned by Trump supporter Sheldon Adelson, interviewed the presumptive Republican presidential nominee about his support for Israel and other topics. When told by the publication that some Israelis are wary about his support for the Jewish state because of his recent remarks that America’s allies should reimburse the military assistance they receive, Trump replied, “You are the first person to ever tell me that I have critics in Israel.”
“I have such great support in Israel. I did a campaign commercial for [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu]. We are going to protect Israel. Don’t forget, Israel is our great bastion of hope in that region so Israel is very important,” added Trump.
Trump also said that he would not view Israel like President Barack Obama. “I think that Obama has been very, very bad for the people of Israel. I just want to tell them that I am extremely strongly in favor of Israel, I respect it and have loved the people of Israel for a long time. I have many friends who are from Israel and we’re going to make sure that Israel is going to be in very good shape forever.”
In a poll released this week by the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute, 38 percent of Israeli respondents said Hillary Clinton — who is much better known in Israel than Trump — would “be better from the standpoint of Israeli interests,” compared to 28 percent for the presumptive Republican nominee.
Despite the finding, 62.5 percent of those polled believe Trump would be committed to safeguarding Israel’s security, while 21 percent have doubts.
The GOP front-runner also discussed with the Israeli publication the criticism in his own party and his prospects of defeating Clinton in the general election. “I think we are going to have very good relationships. Many, many people are coming aboard right now.”
He added, “Everybody’s a tough opponent. I consider all the 16 [Republican candidates] that I’ve beaten to get the nomination to be tough opponents. They’re all tough opponents. There are no weak ones at this level. She will be difficult just like anybody else.”
However, last month Trump said, “She (Hillary) will go down easier than any of the people we just beat. You are going to have an unbelievably good result in November,” 69-year-old Trump said. In today’s interview he said, “Hillary is just four more years of Obama.”
In that interview Trump addressed rumors that he will visit Israel before November. He said, “I’ll be there soon.”