Trump calls Biden ‘bad Palestinian’ in Gaza debate jab
Former President Donald Trump accused the sitting president of not letting Israel "finish the job" against Hamas.
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump said the United States should let Israel “finish the job” of destroying Hamas in the Gaza Strip, attacking President Joe Biden on the debate stage Thursday evening as “a bad Palestinian” over his handling of the eight-month war.
The two men squared off in a CNN debate nearly a month after Biden made public what he described as a three-stage Israeli proposal to free the hostages, withdraw troops and bring a permanent end to the conflict that has killed nearly 38,000 Palestinians.
“Let them go and let them finish the job,” Trump said of Israel’s military campaign.
“He doesn’t want to do it. He’s become like a Palestinian, but they don’t like him because he’s a very bad Palestinian. He’s a weak one,” Trump added.
“I’ve never heard so much foolishness,” Biden responded.
Trump to Biden: "He's become like a Palestinian. They don't like him because he's a very bad Palestinian. He's a weak one." pic.twitter.com/HkSsw6vzPZ
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 28, 2024
The current president did not directly answer a question about how he would apply additional leverage against Israel and Hamas to secure a permanent cease-fire that would end the war.
“The only one that wants the war to continue is Hamas . . . We're still pushing hard to get them to accept,” Biden said, adding that his administration is “the biggest producer of support for Israel of anyone in the world.”
Asked if he would support the creation of an independent Palestinian state, Trump responded, “I’d have to see,” and then changed the subject. He earlier claimed that Hamas' attack on Oct. 7 would not have happened on his watch.
