President Donald Trumpat a Dec. 16 White House Hanukkah event praised the "enduring resilience" of the Jewish people in the face of rising antisemitic attacks, including most recently an attack in Australia thatleft 15 dead.
"The miracle of Hanukkah has reminded us of God's love for the Jewish people as well as their enduring resilience and faith in the face of centuries of persecution," Trump told a room of prominent Jewish American and Israeli supporters. "And it continues, who would believe this would continue."
Tuesday evening's White House event comes days after the Dec. 14 attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach outside Sydney. Trump offered his condolences for the victims before listing his acts of support for Israel, from moving theU.S. embassy to Jerusalemduring his first term as president to bombingIranian nuclear facilitiesin June.
"As president of the United States, I will always support Jewish Americans," Trump said, "and I will always be a friend and a champion of the Jewish people."
The president also cited his crackdown on America's top universities the White House has accused of antisemitism and efforts to broker a peace in Israel.BBCandAl Jazeerareports say Israel continues to mount attacks in Gaza.
Trump called a few supporters to the stage, including conservative talk show host Mark Levin and Trump donor Miriam Adelson.
The Israel-born wife of deceased Jewish American businessman Sheldon Adelson offered to donate a quarter of a billion dollars to Trump if he were to run for a third term. The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution bars Trump from serving a third term in office.
Levin referred to Trump as the nation's "first Jewish president."
"Now he's our first Jewish president to serve two not-consecutive presidencies," the talk show host said, holding an arm around Trump. "You are the greatest president."
See Melania Trump visit with children at Toys for Tots charity event
The event also comes as the Republic Party faces a rift over its stance on antisemitism after prominent conservative media figureTucker CarlsoninterviewedNick Fuentes, a white nationalist who has become influential in the fringes of the Make America Great Again movement.
Carlson's interview with Fuentes comes on the heels of at least four recent instances of Republican officials being associated with Nazi symbology or ideology, includingreports of young GOP group membersjoking about gas chambers; the Trump administrationpulling a nomineefor saying he had a "Nazi streak," aswastika within a U.S. flag being spottedin a Republican congressman's office and the revelation that anonline neo-Nazi influenceris married to a local Republican elected official in Michigan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump praises 'resilience' of Jewish people at Hanukkah event
