In meeting with Orthodox, Donald Trump reveals Israel advisers: His Jewish lawyers

Jerusalem Post (jpost.com) ^ | 2016 April 15 | Uriel Heilman

[CutePuppy]

There were a few things Donald Trump made clear when he met Thursday with a select group of Jewish reporters, almost all of them Orthodox, at his corporate offices in Manhattan.

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly was the one who initiated Wednesday's one-on-one powwow with Trump to mend fences, not him. He's a great friend of Israel. He has many Orthodox Jewish friends, including his chief lawyer, Jason D. Greenblatt. And he considers himself a very loyal boss.

But in a 20-minute question-and-answer session that touched on religious liberty in the workplace, US foreign policy in the Middle East and federal education tax credits, Trump offered scant details.

On some substantive policy questions, the Republican front-runner for president didn't answer at all, instead delegating the question to Greenblatt, a real estate attorney from Teaneck, New Jersey — one of two people he said he'd appoint as his White House Israel policy advisers.

On other questions, Trump's non-answers made him sound like a high school student trying to fudge his way through an oral exam.

Here's Trump's answer to a question on whether religious employers should have the right to discriminate on the basis of religion when it comes to hiring:

"That's the question that's been asked and discussed very brilliantly on many different levels over the last short period of time," Trump said. "And I'm going to really leave that decision to you. That's your personal decision. What would your answer be to that question?" ..... < snip >

..... Trump also talked about his Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who helped write the pro-Israel speech Trump delivered last month to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, DC. ..... < snip >

[CutePuppy]

Worth reading the entire article.

[CutePuppy]

Some bullet points from the article:

• Trump's chief "Jewish/Israel 'policy' advisers" are real estate and bankruptcy lawyers.

• Trump said that he cancelled his planned visit to Israel in December 2015, not Netanyahu.

• Trump said "the world would be much better off if Saddam Hussein of Iraq ... had been left in power ... because now you've destabilized the entire Middle East."

• "Tell my friends from, in some cases Israel, how loyal was Mr. Trump to you, Corey?"

• When Ttump saw that almost all reporters around the table were Orthodox he immediately summoned some "Orthodox Jews of his own" into the room. "It was an exchange reminiscent of ... the first episode of "Mad Men" ..."

• Trump on Hillary Clinton: "She's been saying strongly in favor of Israel and so do I. ... She's not a trustworthy person..."

• Trump talked about his Jewish 'philantropy' saying that his father bought some Israel bonds.

• Trump chastised American Jews for supporting Democrats and Barack Obama fundraisers: "Someday you people will explain to me what you're doing."

• Now that Trump confirmed (there was little doubt) that his ghostwriter for AIPAC speech was his son-in-law Jared Kushner, some information on him and his Democrat family, donations and ties (I wonder if that was the [only] reason why Ivanka and Eric Trump 'forgot' to register for NY GOP primary — after all, their votes are not needed in NY primary, so why mess up the Trump brand with the 'Republican' label?):

Refs: The son-in-law also rises: For Jared Kushner, championing Trump marks break with Democratic past - Kushner Cos. CEO was an active donor to liberal politicians in NJ, NY - FR, posts #75, #81, 2016 April 07

Refs: Fresh document trove sheds light on Clinton-Trump ties - FR, post #56, 2016 April 12

[2ndDivisionVet]

Opinion: Ted Cruz - The Satmar Choice
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/3419985/posts

Cruz will have hundreds of influential Republican donors and Jewish leaders to himself this weekend
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/3418908/posts

[Yashcheritsiy]

Thanks for highlighting all the places that were solely the article author’s opinions.

[applpie]

i just cant believe people can’t see that he has no paragraphs....just topic sentences. but then that analogy may very well go by Trump supporters.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

It’s amazing how big the Jewish opposition to Trump is. But, then again, even the “conservative” Jews can’t be guaranteed not to be pro-amnesty. Look at the Jewish Republican Coalition: pro-gay marriage, pro-amnesty, pro-TPP. Look at Ben Shapiro, calling for ethnic cleansing Palestinians, but calling Trump immoral over wanting to pause Muslim immigration to the country. Even Netenyahu took the time to criticize Trump’s plan, even though Israel is literally not taking a single refugee, and has immigration policies so harsh, Trump would be considered moderate.

[CutePuppy]

Thanks for highlighting all the places that were solely the article author's opinions.

Only one highlighted sentence was author's opinion, the rest are either direct quotes by Trump or the facts about the meeting. "Eye of the beholder"?

[Don Corleone]

Who knew My..Gyn Kelly was Jewish?

[CutePuppy]

Who knew My..Gyn Kelly was Jewish?

Exactly, that's what immediately caught my attention. Why would Trump even have the need to mention Megyn Kelly at the meeting with the invited Jewish reporters? That is so immature and insecure.

[sheik yerbouty]

Trump was absolutely right asking why so many Jews fell over themselves to gote for 0bama. IMHO, it’s a fkrm of Stockholm Syndrome. After all, “Don’t make the black kids angry”..

[CutePuppy]

Everyone knows that Trump is not the first person to ask that question of American Jewish population in general nor is he the first to refer to certain segment of population as "you people."

What is strange is asking that question of Jewish journalists, especially when Orthodox Jews are solidly in conservative camp and usually generously donate to and vote for GOP candidates.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me. ..................

His doctor for Health, Education and Welfare and his head of security for Defense. Who is his landscaper and where does he go?

Thus far his announced advisors are weak. Other than the mainstream Republicans he's hired to clean up his delegate mess. Needs to do better.

[CutePuppy]

Israel's population consist of more than 20% percent of Muslims and more than 20% of Arabs. Israel does take refugees from other countries on a regular basis — as a matter of policy, particularly Druze from Lebanon or Syria, which are considered official religious minority, with some special rights and independence accorded to them.

I doubt there is a huge flood of Syrian refugees trying to get to Israel, nor do think demanding that a tiny country like Israel with all the geopolitical and religious problems and constraints should take "their fair share" of Muslim refugees is in any way reasonable.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

Israel does take refugees from other countries on a regular basis

Israel takes in very few refugees in comparison to Europe or the United States (but then they take a lot). In fact, most refugees to Israel don't even have their refugee status checked before they're simply detained and then deported, particularly the ones from Africa.

All other forms of immigration to Israel are also highly restricted compared to the United States and Israel, with preference given to Jews. Even a person married to a Jew, but is not a Jew himself, might not be able to legally enter into Israel with their Jewish spouse who already has residence.

nor do think demanding that a tiny country like Israel

Who's demanding? But this logic about tiny vs big country stuff is trash. The US is a big country, and if a Jewish columnist like Ben Shapiro demands we take in Muslims because we are "big," but that Israel should expel every man, woman and child of the Palestinians who were born there because Israel is "small", then that columnist should go straight to hell.

In general, foreign countries should mind their own business and not worry about each other's immigration policies. I have no problem with Israel doing whatever it wants.

[CutePuppy]

Who's demanding? ... if a Jewish columnist like Ben Shapiro demands we take in Muslims because we are "big,"

I really don't care what Ben Shapiro or anyone else "demands" — what does any of this in any way have to do with the subject of the thread?

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

I really don't care what Ben Shapiro or anyone else "demands"

I was responding to your "big" country vs "small" country stuff we see slime like Shapiro and other "conservative" Jewish columnists use to explain why they think the United States should have unlimited Muslim immigration, but have very different views for Israel.

[CutePuppy]

Related articles:

Fearing Trump, Republican Jews give Cruz another look - JP, by Ron Kampeas, 2016 April 12

LAS VEGAS — Ted Cruz came here to woo Republican Jews over the weekend, and in the absence of his opponents for the GOP presidential nomination came away with qualified support based not on who he is but who he is not — Donald Trump.

Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich skipped the spring meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, leaving Cruz as the sole hopeful to address the 560 Jews packed into a conference room at The Venetian casino resort.

Trump's high negative approval ratings among women and minorities coupled with his seeming fecklessness on Israel — pledging neutrality one week and support the next — seemed to drive many in attendance to give Cruz a second look after months of shunning the Texas senator for his social conservatism and reputation for not making nice with other Republicans. ..... < snip >

..... No one questioned Cruz's Israel bona fides, and his impassioned expressions of support for the country earned standing ovations, the longest when he swore to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem. But his more important qualification was the possibility that he could beat Trump, whose candidacy, as folks whispered in conversations in the corridors, would lead inexorably to President Hillary Clinton. ..... < snip >

..... After Cruz spoke, many in the room appeared reassured. ..... < snip >

Cruz, acknowledging social issues gap with Republican Jews, stresses Israel support - JP, by JTA, 2016 April 10

Ted Cruz appealed to Republican Jews to back him for his outspoken support of Israel, while acknowledging differences with the constituency on social issues and immigration.

"I recognize that is a question that many people here wrestle with," Cruz said Saturday at the Republican Jewish Coalition's leadership meeting, which gathers annually in Las Vegas, after one of the attendees earned applause for saying Cruz's attitudes on abortion and gay marriage were unpopular with Jewish Republicans.

But Cruz, the Texas senator running for the Republican presidential nod, said he would not abandon his social conservatism.

"No Republican has ever won without campaigning and running as a fiscal conservative, a national security conservative and a social conservative," he said.

Cruz was the only one of the three remaining presidential candidates to attend the RJC confab, and held separate private meetings with donors over the weekend. He is seeking Jewish support in his bid to keep front-runner Donald Trump from accruing enough delegates to win on the first round of voting at the convention. Cruz believes he can win a second round of voting. ..... < snip >

[Eleutheria5]

All I hear is “blahblahblahblah death star approaching. Help us Obiwankenobi. You’re our only hope.”