Trump said he was surprised by the change in Israel’s influence in Congress

President Donald Trump commented Monday thatIsrael had lost a good deal of influence over the U.S. Congress, which came as a surprise to him considering "the control" the Jewish state counted on the U.S. legislative branch several years ago. During an interview with the Daily Caller, journalist Regan Reese asked Trump if he was concerned about how Republican support for Israel in Congress had been significantly reduced, to which ethe president hinted that such a reality was related to the way Israel's reputation has been weakening.

"Israel had the strongest lobby in Congress of anything or body, or of any company or corporation or state that I’ve ever seen. Today, it doesn’t have that strong a lobby. It’s amazing. 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," Trump commented during the interview with the conservative media outlet.

Israel and public opinion

Asked why he believed Israel's reputation has been deteriorating lately, Trump noted that this had to do with the war that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waging against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. The Republican leader pointed out that, even though the Israel Defense Forces must end that war, and even though they are winning it and even materializing a good part of their objectives, that armed conflict was seriously affecting Israel's reputation in the world.

Similarly, Trump explained that another reason why many people's opinion of Israel has turned unfavorable in recent months is because the world "forgot about October 7" the date in 2023 when Hamas terrorists penetrated Israeli borders and committed all sorts of atrocities by kidnapping hundreds of civilians and murdering more than 1,000 Israelis, in what many called one of the worst attacks ever suffered by the Jewish state.

"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," commented Trump, who also asserted that "nobody has done more for Israel than I have, including the recent attacks with Iran, wiping that thing out."