Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Join thousands of readers who support our workBECOME A MEMBER
Fast Forward

Trump Aide Threatens AIPAC for Apologizing to Obama

Three months after AIPAC’s annual policy conference, Jason Greenblatt, real estate attorney and Donald Trump’s Israel adviser, subtly threatened the lobby for apologizing to President Barack Obama for Trump’s speech.

In a joint interview to the Jewish Link and JNS.org, Greenblatt said that he does not think the American Israel Public Affairs Committee should have apologized to Obama for Trump’s comments — adding a “yay!” after saying that it would be his last year in office — and the audience cheers and applause that followed his presentation.

“It was wrong of AIPAC to do that,” he said, adding that Trump probably wouldn’t hold a grudge against AIPAC. “I would not have made that decision if I were them.”

Greenblatt added to his comments by saying that AIPAC only did so because they did not expect Trump to win the Republican nomination.

“We are disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone,” Pinkus said back in March.

AIPAC representative Marshall Wittmann declined to comment on Greenblatt’s statements.

“When they issued the apology, you remember, there were a lot of other candidates on the stage. And then, very quickly, he won,” said Greenblatt. “I am not sure they anticipated that. But it’s a question they should have asked themselves.”

Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.