Jason Greenblatt squared off against Rahm Emanuel on May 14 before a packed crowd at the 92nd Street Y (92NY) in Manhattan, debating whether President Doanld Trump is good for the Jews.
Greenblatt, an Orthodox Jew who was instrumental in brokering the Abraham Accords while serving as White House special envoy to the Middle East from 2017-19 and had worked for Trump for decades, said that even when big deals were getting done, Trump enthusiastically told him to go home and observe Shabbat.
Emanuel, a Jew who served as the White House chief of staff under President Barack Obama and was mayor of Chicago from 2011-19, said Trump did not show moral clarity in his comments after the 2017 right-wing rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and said Trump was wrong to have a meal with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes who traffic in antisemitism and that doing so serves as a permission slip for others to be antisemites.
Greenblatt drew some applause when he noted that Trump was not referring to neo-Nazis or white supremacists when he made the famous “very fine people on both sides” comment and pointed out that the talking point has been debunked. He also said Trump should not have met with West or Fuentes.
The debated was moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bret Stephens, editor-in-chief of SAPIR and a columnist for the New York Times. Stephens noted that in Trump’s first term, he became the first president to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital of Jerusalem, executed the Abraham Accords, recognized Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights, and ordered a drone strike assassinating Iranian general Qasem Suleimani – so given those achievements, how could one say Trump was not good for the Jews?
Negotiating Without Israel
Emanuel said that Trump is currently negotiating with Iran without Israel’s participation, negotiated a deal with the Houthis without Israel that still permits them to attack the Jewish State, is negotiating with Saudi Arabi without Israel, had direct talks with Hamas, shook the hand of the new Syrian leader who was a member of Al Qaeda, and traveled to the Middle East without visiting Israel. “His actions this week show that if the president of the United States is willing to ignore Israel, not consult them in the region, that is going to send a signal to the Gulf countries and others of where his cost is, where his benefit is as it relates to the state of Israel,” Emanuel said.
Greenblatt said it was Trump’s intervention that resulted in hostage Edan Alexander being freed and added that “sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, talk to the worst people in the world to actually make progress, that’s the reality.” He said Trump “did not sell anyone out” and is hoping to get all the hostages released. Greenblatt said he had to go into a bomb shelter with his son when he was in Israel during a Houthi missile strike and he wished that Trump had gotten them to stop, but that it might not have been possible. He told Emanuel it was not fair to judge Trump “for one week of action” when many things were yet to play out. He said Trump is trying to avoid a war with Iran.
Tariffs
Emauel said Trump was wrong to put a tariff on Israel at a time when Israel is facing economic hardship due to the October 7 attacks and the war. He said wasn’t sure if it was 45% or 35%; someone in the audience shouted that it was 17%, to which Emanuel made a joke that he knew and was testing the audience. Emanuel said still 17% is damaging to Israel. He also critiqued Trump for not putting a tariff on Russia. Stephens noted that Netanyahu came to the White House and said Israel had no tariffs on the U.S., hoping Trump would drop tariffs against the Jewish state. Greenblatt said Israel exports less than other countries and its security is more important than tariffs, while Emanuel said the tariffs are “a brick on Israel.”
The Plane, The Plane
Stephens asked Greenblatt how Trump could have in the past called Qatar a sponsor of terrorism but would now accept a $400 million plane from the country. Greenblatt said he was not a fan of the airplane deal. He also said the money given from Qatar to Gaza in recent years was in coordination with Israel and one was free to debate whether this was a good or bad move. He said one of the worst things Qatar does is produce the TV channel Al-Jazeera.
Campus Antisemitism
Emanuel said while many college presidents had not done their jobs in protecting Jews, “what I don’t support is using antisemitism, which has been a massive challenge on college campuses where Jewish kids do not feel secure, as an excuse to get to your…political agenda, to attack your political opponents.” He said when universities get financially squeezed, it will not be good for the Jews, and that self-expression and the rule of law had to be protected.
Stephens noted that medical research is being cut from Johns Hopkins, which has not had any record of antisemitism, and asked Greenblatt about possible blowback against the Jewish community.
Greenblatt said that “Let yourself be hated, keep your head down, don’t say anything” was an old way of thinking for Jews, and it took Trump, who is not Jewish but has Jewish and Arab grandchildren, to “fight fire with fire.” He said Trump’s tough stance has already showed results, as New York University withheld a diploma from a graduate student and Columbia University called police on protesters who were breaking the law. Greenblatt said it is not a perfect solution, but it is one where colleges know there will be consequences for ignoring antisemitism.
Bad Company?
Stephens questioned Greenblatt about Trump meeting with Kanye West as well as JD Vance meeting leaders of a far-right German party. Greenblatt said he’s been clear that it was wrong for Trump to meet with West, but it had no impact on his policy as president, and that he didn’t like Vance meeting with the German politicians. Greenblatt said he’s spent thousands of hours with Trump, who is supportive of Jews, and the meeting with West and Fuentes was “ill-advised.” He also said he had not watched much of Tucker Carlson, but doesn’t believe the former Fox News host has sway over Trump.
Stephens then asked Emanuel about Democratic politicians claiming that Israel is committing a genocide and downplaying antisemitism, and mentioned the unverified report that when she was a presidential candidate, former Vice-President Kamala Harris did not select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate because he is Jewish. Emanuel said those people Stephens referred to “don’t represent the Democratic party.”
What’s the Deal with Iran?
Emanuel said the JCPOA – the deal Obama made with Iran – was good on balance because it delayed Iran’s opportunity to get a nuclear weapon, and Trump’s pulling out of the deal blinded monitors who don’t know what is taking place as cameras have not been there for about 10 years. He said Israeli security officials have said the deal was better than no deal. Stephens noted that most Orthodox Jews were against the Obama deal and asked Emanuel if he thought a similar deal would take place under Trump. Emanuel said Trump was “trying to chase a Nobel Peace Prize and Iran offers the greatest opportunity.” But he said hoped Trump would be able to make a good deal with Iran and with a Syria and Lebanon that are not under the thumb of Iran.
If Trump Isn’t Good for the Jews, Why Do So Many Israelis Support Him?
Stephens asked Emanuel why so many Israelis support Trump if he’s bad for Jews. Emanuel responded that the support would not be so high this week. He said the Israeli public believes former President Joe Biden put too may restraints on Israel during the war in Gaza.
Both men were respectful and did not raise their voices, and the crowd cheered and booed them at different times. In their closing statements, Greenblatt said Jews feel safer under Trump, even if not every tweet or comment is worthy of praise, while Emanuel said the question is not if Trump is good only for the Jews, but good for America, which he answered in the negative, and charged the President with dividing people.
The audience, which appeared to have a minority of Orthodox members, voted before and after the debate on whether or not Trump is good for the Jews. Pre-debate, 35% said “Yes” and 65% said “No.” Post-debate, 38% said “Yes” and 62% said “No.”
