Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday that Jewish-American voters would be partly to blame if he loses the Nov. 5 elections to Vice President Kamal Harris, the Democratic candidate.
Meanwhile, Harris defended the right to bear arms as she discussed her candidacy with media icon Oprah Winfrey in the “Unite for America” event.
During comments to the Israeli-American Council National Summit in Washington, Trump lamented that he was trailing Harris among American Jews, according to Reuters.
Israel would likely cease to exist within two years should Harris win the election, and Jews would be partly to blame for that outcome because they tend to vote for Democrats, Trump argued.
“If I don't win this election - and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens because if 40%, I mean, 60% of the people are voting for the enemy - Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years,” Trump told the crowd.
He was citing a poll that he said showed Harris polling at 60% among American Jews. He also lamented winning less than 30% of the vote among American Jews in the 2016 election, which he won, and the 2020 election, which he lost to Democratic President Joe Biden.
It was not clear what poll the former president was citing, but a recent Pew Research Survey found American Jews favor Harris over Trump by a margin of 65% to 34%.
Trump made similar comments at a separate summit earlier in the evening, also in Washington, which was dedicated to fighting antisemitism in America.
While Trump was addressing the Israeli-American Council National Summit, American television icon Oprah Winfrey sought to capitalize on her power to gather Hollywood celebrities to help Harris win over persuadable voters.
The event organized in Michigan, one of the swing states expected to be pivotal in the White House race, was broadcast live online across multiple platforms.
Celebrities were among the thousands who joined the livestreamed event Thursday. They included singer Jennifer Lopez, actresses Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Tracee Ellis Ross, comedian Chris Rock and actors Bryan Cranston and Ben Stiller, according to AFP.
Harris campaign advisers said thousands of people signed up to watch the livestream, and its YouTube audience was nearly 100,000 by the end. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitch accounts for both Winfrey and Harris also showed the event.
Harris urged Americans to unite against the “powerful forces that would try to divide us,” referring to Trump.
She then answered a series of questions on topics such as immigration, the cost of living or abortion.
