Trump touts accomplishments in address meant to woo Jewish voters and bolster support in Florida

Washington Post logo45-minute speech to the Israeli American Council hewed to a script more than many of the president’s rally jeremiads

HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA — President Trump pitched his administration’s record on Israel while slashing into political opponents in front of a packed beachfront ballroom here Saturday night, seeking to convince Jewish voters that they should vote for him in 2020 even if they don’t like him or his tactics.

In a 45-minute speech to the Israeli American Council that hewed to a script more than many of the president’s rally jeremiads, Trump crowed of pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2017, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and eliminating funding for the Palestinian Authority as consequential achievements that made him deserving of a second term.

The president dismissed his administration’s lack of a peace plan for the Middle East, which he has vowed to create since taking office, calling it the hardest deal to strike.