Trump vows to ‘crush’ pro-Palestine protests if reelected

The Cradle, May 28, 2024 —

Former US president Donald Trump vowed to a group of donors on 27 May that he would “crush” the pro-Palestine student movement across the country if re-elected. 

He also said he would “deport” foreign students protesting the genocide in Gaza and promised to “defeat” demonstrators that he said were part of a “radical revolution” across US campuses. 

“If you get me re-elected, we’re going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years,” the former president said. Trump also praised the New York police for violently clearing out pro-Palestine encampments at Columbia University late last month. 

“It has to be stopped now,” he said in response to a concern one of the donors raised about students and faculty members from protesting universities potentially holding positions of power in the future. 

Trump also said he supports Israel’s right to continue “its war on terror.” Recent polls show Trump’s lead over Biden ahead of this year’s presidential elections is growing. The former president is leading with 45.8 percent as opposed to Biden’s 44 percent. 

Last month, several universities across the US witnessed an unprecedented wave of student protests in solidarity with the Palestinians and in condemnation of Washington’s support for Israel. Many of these mobilizations saw protest encampments set up on university grounds.

Protesters at Columbia University and others faced violent repression from US police – despite accusations against President Joe Biden by Republicans saying that the response to the protests was “weak.” 

The Republican party has sought to frame the pro-Palestine movement as a campaign of antisemitism. 

The US House of Representatives passed a bill on 1 May to expand the federal definition of antisemitism to include criticism of Israel. Some have warned that the bill could specifically be used to confront pro-Palestine protests at US university campuses. 

Certain rights groups have criticized the bill for this reason. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called on members of the House to vote against it, pointing out that US federal legislation against antisemitism already exists.