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Felicia Sonmez
National Journalist in the Washington Post Political Press Team
LAS VEGAS – President Trump criticized Saturday representative, Ilhan Omar, a day after the arrest of a New York man accused of threatening to kill the Democrat of Minnesota.
In an address to a conservative Jewish group, Trump thanked several Republican lawmakers for their support before making fun of Omar, a staunch critic of US policy toward Israel, who also made comments that invoked antisemitic stereotypes.
"Special thanks to Omar representative from Minnesota," Trump told members of the Jewish Republican Coalition in a ballroom at Venetian Resort. "Oh I forgot, she does not like Israel, I forgot, I'm so sorry."
Patrick W. Carlineo Jr., the man accused of threatening Omar, would have described the legislator as "terrorist" and vowed to put a "bullet in his head". [expletive] Skull "in a phone call with a staff member in Washington, according to a statement released Friday by the US Attorney's Office in the West District of New York.
A spokesman for Omar did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks.
Trump's reference to Omar came in a large-scale speech in which he said the US-Israel connection "has never been stronger" and said the Democrats "were not fighting for Israel in Congress".
"Republicans believe that we should never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism. We do. We all, said Trump. The president had already aroused widespread condemnation after declaring that there were "very good people on both sides" at the 2017 White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville, in which neo-Nazis shouted, "Jews do not will not replace ".
Most of Saturday's Trump speech was a classic speech, the president mocking asylum seekers, threatening to close the US border with Mexico, attacking the Green New Deal plan to fight climate change and touting its relations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Several of the Trump administration's actions toward Israel have been hailed by the country's leaders, including the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem and the recent decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. This disputed region was seized from Syria during the 1967 Middle East War, and most of the international community views annexation as an illegal occupation.
Trump's decision particularly touched Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sought to ally with the president before his bid for reelection on Tuesday.
"Over the years, Israel has been fortunate to have many friends sitting in the oval office," Netanyahu told Trump during a visit to the White House last month. "But Israel has never had a better friend than you. You show this time and again. "
On Saturday, Trump received a standing ovation when he spoke of the embassy's move. "Unlike other presidents, I keep my promises," he said.
He took note of his relationship with Netanyahu and referred to the Israeli Prime Minister's battle for re-election, asking the crowd, "How is the race going, by the way? . . . I think it's going to be close. "
He touted his decision to pull the United States out of the "disastrous" Iran nuclear deal, telling the crowd: "They wanted to kill Israel. They wanted to destroy Israel.
And he praised the work of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, peace envoy Jason D. Greenblatt, and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. "I would like to see peace in the Middle East," Trump said. "If these three people can not do it, you'll never do it."
Two protesters were escorted after briefly interrupting Trump as he began his remarks by chanting: "The Jews are here to say," The occupation is a plague "."
But overall, Trump received an enthusiastic welcome a crowd.
Las Vegas casino magnate and leading Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, who serves on the RJC board, sat in the front row of Trump's speech. A handful of participants were holding signs saying "We are Jews for Trump" and "Thank you President Trump". Others wore red yarmulkes with "TRUMP" in white letters.
The audience also gave a standing ovation to Timothy Matson, a police officer who rushed to the scene of last year's shootings in Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and was shot and wounded while saving lives. Trump had invited Matson to attend his speech on the state of the Union in February.
Trump has seized recent internal conflicts within the Democratic Party after comments from Omar who were widely perceived to be using anti-Semitic tropes and called the first-year lawmaker to resign for these remarks. At the end of last month, Trump claimed that Democrats are an "anti-Israel" and "anti-Jewish" party, even though Jews have always voted more Democratic than Republican.
While Trump condemned Omar for bringing up stereotypes about Jews and money, Trump himself had expressed similar sentiments to those of the RJC in 2015, when he was standing for the first time. GOP presidential inauguration.
"You're not going to support me because I do not want your money," Trump said. "But it's okay, you want to control your own politician."
Trump Saturday was addressing an audience consisting mainly of American Jews. But at one point, he told the crowd that he "was standing in the White House with your Prime Minister". At another time, Trump warned that the "radical agenda" of congressional Democrats "could very well leave Israel alone here."
Sonmez reported from Washington.
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