‘Absolutely Losing the PR War’: Trump Twice Declines to Say He Stands ‘100% With Israel’
(AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)
Donald Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt he supports Israel, but would not commit to backing their efforts in the Israel-Hamas war 100%.
In the Thursday interview, the former president claimed Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack would have never happened if he were still in the White House and he urged Israel to “get it over with.”
“Get it over with. They’ve got to finish what they finish. They have to get it done. Get it over with, and get it over with fast, because we have to, you have to get back to normalcy and peace. The whole world is blowing up with this idiot president we have. He’s an idiot. He’s the dumbest president we’ve ever had,” Trump said.
“But you are still standing 100% with Israel? You achieved the Abraham Accords, which was the first peace deal since Sadat,” Hewitt said in response.
“Right,” Trump said.
Hewitt then asked again if Trump stands with Israel 100%.
“And so are you still 100% with Israel? And what’s your advice to [Benjamin] Netanyahu beyond get it over with in a hurry?”
Trump said the destruction in Gaza means Israel is “losing the PR war.” Netanyahu and the IDF have faced sharp criticism this week, including from U.S. officials, over seven aid workers being killed in a strike inside Gaza while trying to deliver aid.
“Well, that’s all the advice you can give. I mean, that’s the advice. You’ve got to get it over with, and you have to get back to normalcy,” Trump said. “And I’m not sure that I’m loving the way they’re doing it, because you’ve got to have victory. You have to have a victory, and it’s taking a long time. And the other thing is I hate, they put out tapes all the time. Every night, they’re releasing tapes of a building falling down. They shouldn’t be releasing tapes like that. They’re doing, that’s why they’re losing the PR war. They, Israel is absolutely losing the PR war.”
Trump said videos of Gaza being destroyed only hurt Israel’s image around the world.
“They’re releasing the most heinous, most horrible tapes of buildings falling down. And people are imagining there’s a lot of people in those buildings, or people in those buildings, and they don’t like it. And I don’t know why they released, you know, wartime shots like that,” he said. “I guess it makes them look tough. But to me, it doesn’t make them look tough. They’re losing the PR war. They’re losing it big. But they’ve got to finish what they started, and they’ve got to finish it fast, and we have to get on with life.”
Check out the entire interview between Trump and Hewitt here.
