To say Donald Trump’s appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s presidential forum in Washington was bizarre would be an understatement. Taking the stage around noon Thursday, Trump offered a somewhat quieter version of his rambling tough-guy shtick, boasting about his wealth, his awards, and his poll numbers. Along the way, he offered strange lines that brought up Jewish stereotypes and even elicited boos from the audience.
The RJC member who introduced Trump, Abbie Friedman, called him a “mensch with chutzpah,” and the New York real-estate mogul didn’t fail to deliver on the latter. Trump’s speech hopped from topic to topic but focused largely on his skills as a negotiator. “Look, I’m a negotiator like you folks,” he said to the auditorium of Jewish Republicans. “Look, we’re negotiators.” He repeatedly said he did not want money from the audience, only their support. He noted that his wall was covered with awards he received from Jewish organizations and pointed out that his daughter Ivanka is devout practitioner of Judaism. “I can’t reach her on Saturdays!” Trump said.
Trump criticized some of his fellow GOP rivals, though none of the high-polling ones. He rolled his eyes at the mention of the previous speaker, John Kasich, and the Ohio governor’s plan to balance the budget. Trump brought up his cutting description of former Florida governor Jeb Bush as “low-energy.”
“I’ve devoted so much time over my life to Israel,” Trump said, vaguely contrasting that devotion with his other GOP rivals. “Believe me, they haven’t done what I’ve done.”
The crowd seemed entertained, at least at first, by the performance. At one moment, the laughter became uncomfortable when Trump made a comment about the ” interesting friends” Hillary Clinton was emailing with, moving his hand back and forth in a way that suggested something about the relationship with those friends was odd. The crowd laughed nervously. “Some people don’t get that,” Trump said.
But then Trump elicited what has so far been the only negative reaction to something a candidate has said to the group. When asked about whether a President Trump would push for recognizing Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, he hedged, saying he would have to think about it. That got boos from some in the audience, including a man in the third row. Trump pointed the man out directly and told him to relax. “Don’t worry about it, you’ll be very happy,” Trump told him.
And the crowd was as unimpressed with Trump’s answer to a question about his comments that Israel would have to “sacrifice certain things” to reach a deal with Palestinians in the region. Trump’s incoherent answer, interrupted for a few moments when he recognized a face in the crowd and vamped over their friendship, seemed to lose the audience. By the time his half-hour-plus appearance was over, fewer people were breaking into applause or cheering Trump’s lines.
