WASHINGTON (JTA) Democrats are emphasizing President Joe Biden’s pro-Israel strengths in their campaign for Jewish votes, a twist for a party that has long put domestic politics at the forefront in its efforts to suppress the vote Jewish.
An online ad released Monday by the Jewish Democratic Council of America compares Biden’s visit to Israel at the start of the war against Hamas to former President Donald Trump’s recent mockery of Israeli leaders for their mismanagement of the war and his praise of Hezbollah. The video is titled President Biden: The Leader the World Needs.
Trump has turned his back on Israel, the narrator says. Joe Biden is a steadfast friend and supporter of Israel and a defender of American Jews. The ad will target Jewish voters in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona and Pennsylvania, all swing states with relatively large Jewish communities.
The Democratic National Committee took a similar approach in a press call Friday ahead of the Republican Jewish Coalitions’ annual conference. The RJC conference featured speeches from eight presidential candidates, including Trump, who polls show as the favorite.
Donald Trump is a disaster for American Jews and for Israel, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, a Jewish Democrat from Massachusetts, said on the DNC call. Auchincloss, a military veteran, referred to military officials who worked for Trump during his first term and who said they stopped him from making dangerous decisions. He is dangerous to Israel’s security and his second term would make our closest ally in the Middle East less secure and make American Jews less safe.
Democrats, who continue to garner between two-thirds and three-quarters of the Jewish vote in national elections, have traditionally focused their Jewish campaigns on domestic issues, reflecting the party’s commonalities with many American Jews on issues such as health care. government-subsidized health care and the right to abortion. and immigration policy.
During the Trump years, there was also a focus on the former president’s alliances with the far right, including with some notorious anti-Semites.
Republicans have long made Israel the main theme of their campaign among Jews, in part because for decades Israel was ruled by right-wing governments more in line with Republican foreign policy.
Trump has particularly pleased the pro-Israel right-wing community with his taboo-breaking policies, including moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, cutting funding to the Palestinians and withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. Republicans have also targeted a small but growing group of progressives in Congress who are vocal critics of Israel.
This dynamic appears to be changing. Biden’s wholehearted support for Israel since Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 invasion contrasted with congressional Republicans who have been distracted by a bruising House leadership battle that has delayed passage of a resolution alongside of Israel and the provision of emergency defense assistance to Israel. Some Republicans and political conservatives were moved to praise Biden.
The contrast between leaders at this moment of crisis could not be starker, JDCA CEO Halie Soifer said in a statement. Joe Biden unequivocally stood with Israel and American Jews, while Donald Trump mocked Israel and praised terrorists.
At the RJC conference, prominent Jewish Republicans said Trump would easily resist Democratic attacks on his record in Israel, arguing that his actions were louder than his words.
I’m so looking forward to having this debate about who stands best alongside Israel and who has a better record,” RJC CEO Matt Brooks said at a news conference. And I’ll put Donald Trump’s record over Joe Biden’s. I’ll put Nikki Haley’s record ahead of Joe Biden’s.
Haley, Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, is running for president and also spoke at the RJC conference.
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