Ex-US President Donald Trump vows to ‘crush’ pro-Palestine protests if re-elected

Former American President, Donald Trump, has claimed that he would “crush” pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses and “deport” foreign students found participating in them if he is elected president this year, further clarifying his stance on the ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza.

According to the Washington Post, Trump yesterday addressed a group of donors in a meeting in which he hailed the New York Police Department (NYPD) for clearing an encampment at Columbia University protesting in support of the besieged Gaza Strip earlier this month, reportedly saying that other cities need “to follow suit”.

One unnamed donor revealed that the former president told the group that “if you get me re-elected, we’re going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years”, referring to the growing pro-Palestinian cause continuing to sweep through the Western world.

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When one of the donors expressed concern that some pro-Palestinian students or professors “may hold positions of powers in the future”, Trump pledged to “defeat” the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who he claimed are part of a “radical revolution”.

Saying Israel has a right to continue “its war on terror”, the private comments by the former US president – and one of the most overtly pro-Israel in American history to date – further clarified his stance on the issue of Israel’s ongoing seven-month offensive and bombardment of Gaza.

His official position was previously more ambiguous, at times praising Tel Aviv’s military action and at other times criticising its scale and method while saying the occupation “should wrap up the war”.

Trump’s vow to harshly crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations and voices at home confirm what many suspected already – that, if re-elected into office, he would take a more hard-line stance than even current President Joe Biden’s administration.

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