President Donald Trump, in an exclusive interview with Daily Caller White House Correspondent Reagan Reese conducted on Friday, acknowledged that the Israeli lobby's influence over U.S. Congress is powerful, but has been diminished compared to its historical dominance. And that the war in Gaza is "hurting Israel."
Trump said that Israel once held the "strongest lobby in Congress of anything or body, or of any company or corporation or state that I've ever seen" and had "total control over Congress," but noted this power has been "hurt, especially in Congress" in recent years.
The president attributed the shift to changing political dynamics, particularly the rise of far-left lawmakers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her allies, whom he referred to as "lunatics." Reese also cited a March 2025 Pew Research Center poll showing a rise in unfavorable views of Israel, especially among younger Republicans, as evidence of this evolving sentiment.
The March 2025 Pew Research Center poll cited in the interview found that 53% of U.S. adults held an unfavorable view of Israel, up from 42% in 2022, with a significant increase among Republicans under 50, where 50% now hold an unfavorable view.
Trump described the Israeli lobby's past influence as unparalleled, saying it was so powerful that "you couldn’t speak bad, if you wanted to be a politician, you couldn’t speak badly." He expressed surprise at the current state, calling it "amazing" that the lobby no longer holds the same sway.
The president pointed to the political influence of far-left socialist Democrats, specifically mentioning "AOC plus three," as a key factor in altering the political landscape around Israel. He suggested this shift began approximately 15 years ago
Trump acknowledged that while Israel may be winning the military conflict in Gaza, it is "not winning the world of public relations," which he stated is "hurting" Israel. He referenced the October 7 Hamas attacks as a "truly horrible day" but noted that some people have "forgotten" about it.
This remark is not new; Trump has previously made similar claims about Israel's past dominance in Congress, with comparable remarks reported in 2021.
The current context is a period of heightened scrutiny of U.S. foreign policy towards Israel, particularly regarding the war in Gaza. This is reflected in the recent actions of prominent Republican figures within Trump's circle, such as Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who became the first House Republican to label Israel's actions in Gaza as "genocide;" and popular Trump allies Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, who have questioned Israel's status as a U.S. ally.
Here's Trump's remark in part: "Yeah I’m aware of it. So, Israel is amazing, because, you know, I have good support from Israel. I have. Look, nobody has done more for Israel than I have, including the recent attacks with Iran, wiping that thing out. We, that plane, wiped them out like nobody ever saw before. You know, we got back and CNN was trying to say ‘well, maybe it wasn’t complete,’ and it turned out totally complete, beyond complete. But when, if you go back 20 years. I mean, I will tell you, Israel had the strongest lobby in Congress of anything or body, or of any company or corporation or state that I’ve ever seen. Israel was the strongest. Today, it doesn’t have that strong a lobby. It’s amazing.
"There was a time where you couldn’t speak bad, if you wanted to be a politician, you couldn’t speak badly. But today, you have, you know, AOC plus three, and you have all these lunatics, and they’ve really, they’ve changed it. You’re too young to know this, but if you go back 15 years, probably that’s when it started, right. Israel, you would understand this very much, Israel was the strongest lobby I’ve ever seen. They had total control over Congress, and now they don’t, you know, I’m a little surprised to see that. And people, they forgot about October 7th. You know, October 7th was a truly horrible day, because I’ve seen the pictures.
"And you know, you have people that deny it ever happened, they’re deniers. You have people that deny the Holocaust ever happened. So, they’re gonna have to get that war over with. But it is hurting Israel. There’s no question about it. They may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations, you know, and it is hurting them. But Israel was the strongest lobby 15 years ago that there has ever been, and now it’s, it’s been hurt, especially in Congress."
