Republicans fear Trump’s 'dangerous and unhinged' comments on Israel will benefit Biden campaign

18 October 2023

Former President Donald Trump once praised right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu as an ally. But Trump angrily railed against Netanyahu following Hamas' October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, drawing criticism from countless Democrats for exalting the far-right Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah as "very smart."

However, criticism of Trump's anti-Netanyahu diatribe has not only come from Democrats, but also, from parts of the right.

In a report published on October 17, Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman stresses that some Republicans fear that Trump's comments could benefit President Joe Biden — who is visiting Israel and expressing his solidarity with the country during its war against Hamas.

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A source described by Sherman as a prominent Jewish Republican told Vanity Fair, "Trump definitely has an axe to grind with Bibi. It's 100 percent personal."

According to Sherman's sources, Trump turned against Netanyahu because the Israeli prime minister "refused to endorse Trump's 2020 stolen election lies."

Sherman notes that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been slamming Trump for his comments on Netanyahu and Hezbollah. Most of Trump's rivals in the 2024 GOP presidential primary have offered only mild, tepid criticism of him, but Christie has been much more biting and aggressive in his attacks.

In an anti-Trump campaign ad, Christie declares, "Only a fool would make those kinds of comments. Only a fool would give comments that could give aid and comfort to Israel's adversary."

Those are the types of Israel-related comments from the right that, Sherman points out, the Biden Administration welcomes.

Andrew Bates, deputy White House press secretary under Biden, said of Trump's speech, "Statements like this are dangerous and unhinged. It's completely lost on us why any American would ever praise an Iran-backed terrorist organization as 'smart.' Or have any objection to the United States warning terrorists not to attack Israel."

Read Gabriel Sherman's full report for Vanity Fair at this link.

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