Donald Trump is scheduled to address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the nation’s leading pro-Israel group, Monday evening. And, as with all Trump appearances, anything could happen.
Donald Trump’s AIPAC speech live stream: time, how to watch
Trump’s speech is at 5 pm Eastern at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, and will be streaming live on AIPAC’s website.
Nearly all the presidential candidates are speaking at AIPAC (Bernie Sanders was the only candidate to turn down the offer to speak), but all eyes will be on Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner, who has a record of contradictory statements on Israel.
Trump is quick to state his support for Israel during his stump speeches and says there is “no one more pro-Israel” than himself. But when asked about the perennial issues facing the region, he has waffled on his positions.
His conflicting comments on Israel and other divisive campaign statements have prompted rabbis and other AIPAC conference attendees to plan a protest during his speech Monday evening.
Where Trump stands
Support for Israel is an easy crowd pleaser for Republican presidential candidates. And if asked generally, Trump has no problem pledging his support. But he’s also said he would remain neutral on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — an extraordinarily unusual statement from an American presidential candidate.
“I’m a negotiator. If I go in, I’ll say I’m pro-Israel, and I’ve told that to everybody and anybody that would listen. But I would like to at least have the other side think I’m somewhat neutral as to them so that we can maybe get a deal done,” Trump said at a Republican debate earlier this month.
Then there is Trump’s stumbling disavowal of the support of David Duke, the former grand wizard for the Ku Klux Klan and anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist.
This isn’t the first time Trump has spoken to a fully pro-Israel crowd, having addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition last December with a speech that was riddled with Jewish stereotypes: Trump essentially said Jews only care about money and making deals.
Former AIPAC spokesperson Josh Block, president and CEO of the Israel Project, said the speech will be a chance for Trump to sharpen and clarify his rhetoric on Israel.
“This speech is an important opportunity for him both to pivot to a more serious approach on foreign policy, and to provide the kind of specifics that people are looking for from each of the candidates,” Block told NPR.
