Trump tells donors that student protesters are part of a “radical revolution” and vows to defeat them.
Former US President Donald Trump has vowed to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses if he wins the 2024 US presidential election.
Earlier this month, the likely Republican nominee told a small group of predominantly Jewish donors that he would expel student protesters, who he claimed were part of a “radical revolution,” from the United States if elected, according to a report by The Washington. Post published on Monday.
“If they get me elected, and they really should do this… we're going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years,” Trump said, according to the report, citing people at the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity. .
The former president also praised the New York police for clearing the Columbia University campus in late April, and said other cities should do the same, saying “it has to be stopped now.”
Student protests against the Israeli war in Gaza have rocked the United States in recent weeks, leading to a police crackdown at many universities and more than 2,000 arrests.
In mid-April, Columbia University witnessed a Gaza solidarity camp, in which students urged the institution to divest from companies associated with Israel. This movement spread to campuses in California, Texas, and many other states.
University administrators accused pro-Palestinian protesters of using anti-Semitic language and creating an unsafe environment on campus. But the students rejected those claims, which they said were aimed at distracting people from what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
A majority of Americans under 30 want a ceasefire in Gaza, a poll shows.
During the donor meeting in New York on May 14, Trump expressed his support for Israel's right to continue “its war on terrorism” and highlighted his policies toward Israel if elected. He had previously said that Israel was “losing the public relations war” with its actions in Gaza.
“They are losing the public relations war. They are losing it big time. But they have to finish what they started,” Trump said during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
According to the report, Trump did not mention Netanyahu, who drew the Republican's ire when he acknowledged that President Joe Biden was legitimately elected in 2020.
Israeli attacks on Gaza since the start of the war have killed more than 36,000 people, another 81,026 have been injured and thousands more are missing, presumed dead under the rubble. Israel launched its assault on the besieged territory after a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel killed about 1,140 people.
