Lindsey Graham gives Donald Trump advice on Jewish voters

During an appearance Sunday morning on NBC Meeting with the pressSen. Lindsey Graham gave former President Donald Trump some advice on how to increase his support among Jewish voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

At an event hosted by the Israeli-American Council on Thursday, Trump, the Republican nominee, said: “I’ll tell you this very simply and as kindly as I can: I have not been treated right by voters who happen to be Jewish. I don’t know. Do they know what’s going to happen if I don’t win this election? And the Jewish people would have a lot to do with it if that happened, because at 40 percent, that means 60 percent of the people are voting for the enemy.”

Trump’s statements have been criticized online by prominent Jewish figures such as Andrew Weinstein, a lawyer who serves as a U.S. public delegate to the United Nations.

“This is despicable and dangerous and should be condemned by all Americans,” Weinstein wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Anti-Semitic rhetoric like this makes Jews less safe.”

The former president also said Thursday at the “Combating Anti-Semitism in America” event in Washington, D.C., that Jews who vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in November should have their “heads examined,” a statement he has made repeatedly.

“I wasn’t treated well, but you weren’t treated well because you put yourselves in great danger, and the United States wasn’t treated well,” Trump added Thursday. “I’m not going to say this is a prediction, but in my opinion, the Jewish people had a lot to do with this defeat.”

On Meeting with the pressGraham, a staunch Trump ally, encouraged the former president to focus on persuading Jewish voters on these issues.

“I’m sure American Jewish voters care about the same things that every other voter cares about. For American Jews, I’m sure they care about Israel. There’s no better friend to Israel (than the United States),” Graham told host Kristen Welker.

He continued: “Talk about crime, talk about inflation, talk about the border. That’s how you persuade people in this country. We have an obligation to persuade people to vote for us.”

Newsweek I emailed the Trump campaign Sunday morning for comment.

The Trump team has made winning over Jewish voters in key states a key part of its 2024 strategy.

For decades, demographics have tilted heavily toward Democrats, with a recent poll by the Jewish Democratic Council of America showing Harris had the support of 72 percent of Jews, compared to 25 percent for Trump.

While speaking to Jewish voters, Trump has often spoken of his strong support for Israel.

This includes the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018, meaning the United States officially recognized the holy city as the capital of Israel. Both Israelis and Palestinians consider Jerusalem their first city.

Harris and President Joe Biden’s administration have said Israel has a “right to defend itself” in its conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, while pushing for a ceasefire and a deal to release hostages taken during the conflict.

Moreover, two recent “Nazi” controversies could hurt Trump’s plan to appeal to Jewish voters.

On Thursday, CNN reported that North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, whom Trump had endorsed, allegedly described himself as a “black Nazi” on a pornographic forum site several years ago.

Robinson is accused of writing in 2012 that he would “take Hitler” over Barack Obama. The Republican, who hopes to become North Carolina’s first black governor, has also said he wants slavery to return, adding: “I’d definitely buy a few of those.” Robinson has denied the allegations, calling them “salacious tabloid filth.”

The allegations come days after NPR reported that Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, twice hosted events where a man convicted of the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, who federal prosecutors described as a “white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer,” gave speeches.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli was released from prison in December 2023 after being sentenced to four years in prison in September 2022 for five felonies, including one count of obstructing an official proceeding. He reportedly attended two fundraising events at Trump’s golf course, hosted by a group that supports those accused of the Capitol riot.