At D.C. event, Trump vows to bring back travel ban, bar Gaza refugees from entering U.S.

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate his travel ban that barred people from some predominantly Muslim countries and expand it to prevent refugees from war-torn Gaza from entering the United States.

“I will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip, and we will seal our border and bring back the travel ban,” Trump said Thursday evening in Washington, D.C., at an event alongside Republican donor and billionaire Miriam Adelson.

“Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world,” Trump added “We’re not taking them from infested countries.”

Trump initially put in place a version of his travel ban — one of the signature measures of his presidency — a week after taking office, triggering chaos at airports and sparking protests. Judges blocked the initial ban but changes to the policy eventually led to it being upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, which rejected claims that it targeted Muslims.

The Republican presidential nominee’s remarks came at an event focused on combating antisemitism, as he sought to enhance his outreach to Jewish voters before November’s election against Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent.

Throughout the speech, Trump frequently suggested his backing for Israel should result in better political support among Jewish Americans.

He repeatedly complained he had not “been treated right” because polls showed a majority of Jewish Americans supported his opponent, and said that he believed “Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss” in the presidential election.

“There’s no way that I should be getting 40% of the vote — I’m the one who is protecting you,” Trump said.

Trump at one point suggested that Israel itself should defeat Harris. “More than any people on Earth, Israel has to defeat her,” he said.

The former president added that Israel’s very existence could hinge on the election: “If I don’t win, I believe Israel will be eradicated,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly come under criticism for remarks asserting that American Jews ought to be unquestioningly supportive of the Israeli government.

In an interview in March, Trump accused Jewish people who support Democrats of hating their religion and Israel. Trump has sought to seize on divisions among Democrats over Israel’s war against Hamas, designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and European Union.

In a July radio interview, Trump attacked Harris, saying she “doesn’t like Jewish people” and that she had appeared annoyed during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When the radio host criticized Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, calling him a “crappy Jew,” Trump responded “yeah.”

Emhoff is the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president and has been a vocal advocate against antisemitism, including leading the administration’s strategy on the issue.

After Trump’s speech on Thursday night, Amy Spitalnick, chief executive officer of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs issued a rebuke of his remarks. “Trump continues to label Jews who don’t support him as disloyal and crazy, to play into dangerous dual loyalty tropes, and to blame Jews for a potential electoral loss,” she said. “At the same time, he continues to normalize antisemitic extremism.”

Trump has drawn criticism for interactions with antisemites and white supremacists, including a dinner at Mar-a-Lago in November 2022 with Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2 found 65% of Jewish registered voters support or are leaning toward Harris, with 34% for Trump.

The war in Gaza has presented a political challenge for Harris, with progressives and younger voters critical of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel. Harris, while backing Israel’s right to defend itself, has expressed more empathy for Palestinian suffering than Biden during the war.

_____

(Bloomberg staff writers Jordan Fabian and Bill Allison contributed to this story.)