In an interview with the Daily Caller, which was conducted on Friday and of which excerpts were published on Monday, US President Donald Trump acknowledged a growing skepticism toward Israel among younger Republicans and lamented the weakening of Israel’s once-dominant influence in Congress.
Referencing a March Pew Research Center poll, Daily Caller correspondent Reagan Reese noted that 50% of Republicans under 50 now hold an unfavorable view of Israel—up from 35% in 2022.
Trump responded, “Yeah I’m aware of it. So, Israel is amazing… Look, nobody has done more for Israel than I have.”
Trump pointed to his administration’s actions against Iran and reiterated his longstanding support for Israel. At the same time, he expressed surprise at the erosion of Israel’s lobbying power, “Israel had the strongest lobby in Congress… Today, it doesn’t have that strong a lobby. It’s amazing.”
He attributed the shift to progressive voices in Congress, saying, “You have AOC plus three, and you have all these lunatics… They’ve changed it,” a reference to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and the other members of “The Squad”, known for thei anti-Israel actions.
Trump also referenced the October 7th Hamas massacre, calling it “a truly horrible day,” and criticized those who deny its occurrence.
“And you know, you have people that deny it ever happened, they’re deniers. You have people that deny the Holocaust ever happened. So, they’re gonna have to get that war over with. But it is hurting Israel. There’s no question about it. They may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations, you know, and it is hurting them. But Israel was the strongest lobby 15 years ago that there has ever been, and now it’s, it’s been hurt, especially in Congress,” he said.