The battle for the Jewish vote: the Trump campaign is trying to change the balance

26 days to the US elections and Donald Trump’s campaign is gearing up in an attempt to convince the Jewish voice in the country to vote for the Republican Party – this against the background of October 7 and the protests against Israel. Since the beginning of the campaign, the former president has claimed above all else that he is the candidate that US Jews should vote for.In the last month, the campaign established a headquarters for the Jewish community in order to act in a targeted manner and attract votes. About 70% of Jews have been voting for Democratic candidates, traditionally, for years. According to a poll by the Pew Institute, Trump manages to increase his support to 34%, but he is still far from Harris’s numbers of 65% support.

Elizabeth Pifko, spokeswoman for the Republican Party, is a Jew who has worked in Trump’s campaigns since 2016. This week she accompanied him to visit the Lubbitch Rebbe’s tent to mark October 7, as part of the great attention he pays to the Jewish issue. “After October 7, there is more talk about the Jewish voice, because everyone is focused on Israel and the ongoing war,” Pifko said in an interview with the “Main Edition”.

This visit by Trump came after the former president’s statements received quite a bit of criticism on the grounds that it was anti-Semitism. Trump has spoken out in the past and said that “Jews will have a large part in my loss, if I reach 40 percent.” At another event where he spoke, Trump wondered “How does a Jew vote for a Democrat?” And called Jews who vote for Harris “people who need to get their heads checked.”

Despite these statements, Pifko insists and says: “I believe that Jews will be safer under Trump’s rule.” However, Pifko stated that she “cannot say that the Jews will overwhelmingly vote for Republicans in November.”

The Jews make up only two percent of the population, but because of the close battle in the key states, where there are large Jewish communities, the battle may be decided by a few thousand votes – and therefore every group is important. Part of the Trump campaign’s effort includes trying to get prominent figures in the Jewish community to publicly express support for him.

Lizzy Savetzky is a well-known influencer who voted for Trump in 2020 as well, but only now has the courage to admit her support. “My anxiety about the future of Israel and the Jewish people is directly related to politics,” Savetzky admits. “It became impossible for me to keep silent.”

David Friedman, one of Trump’s associates and who was the ambassador to Israel during the former president’s time, believes that the events of October 7 will indeed cause a change in the vote. “I don’t think the polls are representative, I think many Jews will vote for Trump,” said the former ambassador. “They won’t admit it because they’re afraid their friends will kick them out of the country club.”

Trump recently spoke at a conference of the Israeli-American community IAC, at an event in the fight against anti-Semitism and at a memorial ceremony in Florida for October 7 – they all had one thing in common, the one who introduced him was Miriam Adelson, the owner of Israel Hayom and also one of the former president’s biggest donors.

The Jews in the USA often vote first and foremost as Americans, but the war has shaken many and the Trump campaign is trying to change the balance, because even a slight fluctuation in the upcoming close elections is significant.