Former President Trump gave a stark warning to enemies of the U.S. while speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition Conference on Saturday.
“If you spill a drop of American blood, we will spill a gallon of yours,” the former president said during his remarks.
Trump spoke at length about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which is escalating as Israel expanded its ground operation into the Gaza Strip on Saturday. Concerns about the fate of civilians in Gaza — who have already been struggling due to Israeli airstrikes and blackouts, among other difficulties — have been heightened amidst the Israeli incursion into Gaza.
“We have set two goals for this war: to eliminate Hamas by destroying its military and governing abilities and to do everything possible to bring our captives home. All Hamas terrorists are dead men walking — above ground, below ground, outside Gaza,” Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech earlier this week.
Trump also turned his verbal fire toward international college students and Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (Minn.), the only two Muslim women in Congress, for their pro-Palestinian views. He pledged to cancel the student visas of “Hamas sympathizers” on college campuses if he is reelected as president.
“I will cancel the student visas of Hamas sympathizers on college campuses,” Trump said. “The college campuses are being taken over.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for a cease-fire in the conflict Saturday due to the humanitarian concerns in Gaza.
“This situation must be reversed. I reiterate my strong appeal for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire, together with the unconditional release of hostages and a delivery of humanitarian relief at the level that corresponds to the dramatic needs of the people in Gaza, where a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in front of our eyes,” Guterres said.