Donald Trump’s supporters typically take delight in his spontaneous speaking style. But on Monday, during a pivotal speech to the pro-Israel lobby, the Republican presidential front-runner traded in his frequent mockery of President Obama’s teleprompter reliance for scripted remarks of his own.
For about 30 minutes, at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference, Trump discussed the complexities of U.S. relations with Israel, foreign aid to America’s long-time Mideast ally and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It was the first the New York billionaire truly deviated from his wonted stump speech since he launched his presidential bid last June.
Still, that didn’t stop Trump from inserting a bit of humor into his remarks. The massive audience broke into laughter nearly five minutes into Trump’s speech when he claimed to have studied the Iranian nuclear deal “in greater detail than almost anybody.”
“Believe me,” he added, with his signature grin.
Until now, Trump’s confidence while discussing U.S.-Israeli relations has waned in comparison to the assertiveness on display when he talks immigration or Chinese currency manipulation. He’s struggled to go beyond condemning the nuclear deal with Iran, which AIPAC lobbied heavily against, and previously suggested he’d prefer to remain a “neutral” actor in the Israeli-Palesintian conflict.
But on Monday, Trump said he would “veto any attempt by the United Nations to impose its will on the Jewish State,” including a possible UN Security Council resolution to pursue a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
“Let me be clear: An agreement imposed by the UN would be a total and complete disaster,” Trump told the audience, drawing applause. “The United States must oppose this resolution and use the power of our veto. Why? Because that’s not how you make a deal.”
Hours before speaking to the estimated crowd of 18,000, Trump met with nearly two dozen Republican lawmakers just off Capitol Hill. It was a “very great meeting,” he later told reporters in the atrium of his upcoming Pennsylvania Avenue hotel.
Trump’s gathering with lawmakers and subsequent press conference (which included a tour of the hotel led by the billionaire himself) kept him busy for most of the day. But it was clear when he took the stage Monday night, that he’d put significant preparation into his remarks.
Despite threats of interruptions or silent protests during his speech by protesters upset with his campaign rhetoric, Trump’s appearance went smoothly.
“I love the people in this room. I love Israel,” he told the crowd just minutes before concluding. “In fact, my daughter Ivanka is about to have a beautiful, Jewish baby.”
The entire affair was markedly different from Trump’s appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference last December. At the time, the billionaire cracked jokes about the mostly-Jewish audience’s negotiating skills and refused to say whether he would relocate the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – a move that drew the ire of many present.
By the end of his speech Monday, Trump left the stage having attracted applause and laughter at several points throughout his remarks.
The New York businessman spoke just after House Speaker Paul Ryan and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whose remarks were also well-received.
Trump, Kasich and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz are each scheduled to join CNN between 8 and 11 p.m. ET Monday night for a final town hall series before the Western Tuesday primaries in Arizona and Utah.
