TRANSCRIPT
Former US President Donald Trump has accused Vice-president Kamala Harris, his contender in the 2024 presidential race, of not liking Jewish people.
He tells Christians attending the Believers' Summit that he asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago how “a Jewish person, or a person that loves Israel” can vote for Democrats.
"I mean, how can they vote Democrat? How can they vote for these horrible, these horrible people that want to destroy? But I asked him, how did they vote for Democrats? Everything is negative. Everything they want to stay in the way. They don't want to have victory. They want to stop you from having victory. They want to, and they want to put you in jail. They want to persecute you. How does a Jewish person vote for a Democrat? And traditionally they have. No, traditionally they have. And we came to the conclusion it's mostly habit."
He also criticised Ms Harris, who appears to be on track to become the new Democratic presidential nominee, for missing Mr Netanyahu's speech to Congress.
"Kamala Harris stabbed Israel in the back in its great hour of need. Two days ago, she refused to attend the speech in Congress of the Prime Minister of Israel. She said, I can't make it. There was just a small group of people, but they couldn't make it because that's her original thought. That's where she comes from. She doesn't like Jewish people. She doesn't like Israel. That's the way it is. And that's the way it's always going to be. She's not going to change."
Ms Harris has been married to a Jewish man for a decade.
She has cast herself as an "underdog" in the presidential race against Mr Trump despite polls showing the rivals in a virtual tie.
“We have a fight ahead of us. We got a fight ahead of us. And we are the underdogs in this race. That was said - we're the underdogs in this race. But this is a people-powered campaign, and we have momentum. The day after I announced my candidacy, we saw the best 24 hours of grassroots fundraising in presidential campaign history.”
Ms Harris says much of the rhetoric coming from her Republican opponent and his running mate, JD Vance, is weird.
“You may have noticed Donald Trump has been resorting to some wild lies about my record and some of what he and his running mate are saying. It's just plain weird. I mean that's the box you put that in.”
Earlier, Mr Trump asked Christians attending the Believers' Summit to "get out and vote."
Mr Trump also added that if he were to be elected again, Americans would not need to vote anymore.
"If you want to save America, get your friends, get your family, get everyone you know and vote. Vote early, vote absentee, vote on election day. I don't care how, but you have to get out and vote. And again, Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You won't have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it'll be fixed, it'll be fine. You won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians. I love you Christians. I'm a Christian, I love you. Get out, you got to get out and vote. In four years, You don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not going to have to vote."
It was not immediately clear what he meant by the remark.
Also while speaking at a Bitcoin conference, Mr Trump had this to say.
"As long as I'm in the Oval Office. Elizabeth Warren, Pocahontas do you remember? 'Yes, I'm an Indian,' yes she said, 'I'm an Indian.' Why are you an Indian? You don't look like an Indian? 'No, no, my mother told me I have high cheekbones.' Oh, that's why she was an Indian. So, I named her Pocahontas. Elizabeth Warren and her goons, and she's very nasty to you, she hates your people, she hates everything about you, will keep their hands off Bitcoin. They're going to keep their hands off crypto. They're going to let it grow - we're going to let it grow."
At the conference, Mr Trump laid out his plans to wholeheartedly embrace cryptocurrency if elected for a second term, telling hundreds of cheering supporters that he wants the U-S to be a "bitcoin superpower" under his leadership.
At a rally in St Cloud, Minnesota, Mr Trump's running mate, JD Vance, received a raucous welcome from those in attendance.
Mr Vance began his speech denouncing a rocket attack that resulted in the death of 12 children and teenagers on a soccer pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
"First, let me start on a sombre note, if I can. I want to open my remarks with a word about the horrific rocket attack in northern Israel that killed at least 11 people, teenagers and children as young as 10 years old. We heard about this just earlier today. Of course, it's absolutely shocking. And it's a reminder of what happens when Donald J. Trump is not President of the United States. It makes the whole world weaker and more chaotic. No nation should or can tolerate this terrible stuff. And I know this audience stands with Israel and stands with our friends. Let's get President Trump back in office and get this war over with."
Israel blames Hezbollah for the attack, with the Iranian-backed militant group denying any responsibility.
Mr Vance made no mention of the 30 Palestinians killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school in central Gaza.
The Israeli military says it launched the strike to destroy a Hamas command centre, which it says was embedded inside the school.
It said it had taken steps to reduce the risk to civilians, but thousands of people are believed to have been sheltering in the compound.
