Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News Thursday night, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said,
Hannitty said, “[Israel is] our number one ally in the region, and that alliance has been, well, fractured.”
Trump responded, “Israel is so important. What Obama has done to Israel is a disgrace. How they even talk to us is hard to believe. How do they talk to Obama? You know, I have friends who support Obama, I said, How do you do it? It’s almost like they do it out of habit. They agree he’s been terrible…
“You look at what he’s done to Israel, with just this Iran deal, which is such a terrible deal. He’s been the worst thing that’s ever happened to Israel.
“Now, a lot of my friends that are Jewish do not support him any longer. But I still have some that do. I say, How can you do it?”
Hannity commented, “He’s been horrible to Israel.”
Trump said, “You know what? I think it’s habit. They do it out of habit.”
The data confirm Trump’s notion: In 2008, US Jews voted in droves for Barack Obama, 78-22 over Republican John McCain. That trend has shifted somewhat in 2012, when the vote was 69-30 for Obama over Mitt Romney. The only time in recent history Jews split their vote almost evenly was in 1980, when they gave incumbent Jimmy Carter only 45% of their vote, vs. 39% to Ronald Reagan.