GOP presidential hopefuls descend on Republican Jewish Coalition

Republican presidential candidates offered statements during the Republican Jewish Coalition’s event Saturday.

The group’s Annual Leadership Summit fell three weeks after the day Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel. Candidates at the event included former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Donald Trump.

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Some candidates refused to get political during the conference, steering clear from any sort of campaigning. Christie suggested it wasn’t the right time.

“Today is too serious a day — too serious a day and too serious a moment for pettiness,” Christie said. “Today is too serious a day, too serious a moment, much too serious a moment for unserious people.”

Scott similarly avoided making any campaign promises regarding foreign policy amid Israel’s war on Hamas. Scott also appeared at last year’s event.

“I will not use my time today to give you a 25-minute policy speech,” Scott said. “You‘re welcome.”

Ramaswamy, on the other hand, attacked the wave of antisemitism he claims is rising within the Democratic party. The entrepreneur is the youngest candidate among the nine remaining Republican candidates.

“History teaches us that antisemitism is actually a symptom of a deeper cultural malaise. And I believe the left-wing woke cancer was always destined to end in the destination of antisemitism,” Ramaswamy said. “I said this in my book several years ago. Now you look today; a recent poll finds that Gen Z is divided 50/50 on whether they support Hamas or Israel. Young people in the country are lost. I am 38 years old, I am the first millennial to run for U.S. President. I can tell you what’s going on in our generation. Our generation is hungry for purpose, meaning, a cause, and identity.”

Haley went as far as to call the members of the squad “antisemites.” The squad includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Summer Lee (D-PA), Cori Bush (D-MO), Greg Casar (D-TX), and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA).

Burgum went on the attack against President Joe Biden, criticizing Biden’s inaction toward Iran. Forces backed by the country have launched dozens of strikes against US assets, and the US responded by hitting several of its militia sites.

“But apparently, Joe Biden hasn’t learned. Even now, Biden is desperate to hold on to the fantasy of the nuclear deal with Iran by calling, tacitly, for Israel to back [off] on response to Hamas,” Burgum said. “The goal should be restoring deterrence, not constraining Israel.”

However, Trump lamented that “crooked Joe surrendered my tough sanctions almost immediately” against Iran. The former president pointed to the country’s recent wealth, as now the country produces about a million barrels of oil a day.

DeSantis appeared at the coalition with his speech preceded by a video montage of his statements on behalf of the Jewish people. The Florida governor repeated his campaign promise Saturday to cancel the visas of students protesting in favor of Hamas. DeSantis also bragged about the flights he chartered for Americans stranded in Israel and even discussed his DEI ban in Florida schools.

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“This whole thing of DEI — diversity, equality, inclusion — that’s anti-Israel, that’s anti-Jewish 100% if you take it to its logical conclusion,” DeSantis said.

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced he would suspend his campaign during his speech.