A Survey: Only Six Percent of American Jews Would Vote for Trump in the 2020 Election

Despite Donald Trump's extensive support for Israel, including his unprecedented decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, two-thirds of American Jews are expected to vote for candidates from his rival party, the Democrats, in the upcoming midterm elections. Only six percent of American Jews have said they 'might' vote for Trump in the 2020 presidential election due to his supportive policies towards Israel. These findings were revealed in a survey conducted by the American Jewish Electoral Institute, the results of which were reported in Israeli media on Wednesday, October 17. The survey was conducted ahead of the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November 6, where all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 Senate seats will be contested. The percentage of American Jews identifying as Democrats is significantly higher than that of the general American population; a recent Gallup poll indicated that despite a Republican president in the White House, 47 percent of the overall American population identifies as Democrats, while 44 percent identify as Republicans. However, 68 percent of American Jews in the new survey identified as Democrats, with about 26 percent identifying as Republicans. Fifty-one percent of the surveyed Jews approved of Trump's policies regarding Israel, while 49 percent expressed opposition. Meanwhile, 74 percent of American Jews indicated they would vote for Democratic candidates, meaning that the support for Democratic candidates is six percent higher than the number of Jews identifying as Democrats. This preference seems to stem from domestic issues in the U.S. and the candidates of the Democrats, which appear to have garnered more attention from American Jews. Approximately six million Jews live in the U.S.; traditionally, about 70 percent of them have voted for the Democratic Party over the decades, but this trend seems to have changed in recent years. Now, two years after Trump's election, not only do most American Jews support the Democrats, but this support has apparently increased. Fifty-six percent of American Jews have even stated that they are dissatisfied with Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, while 44 percent expressed satisfaction. The significant opposition among American Jews in this survey to Trump's friendly policies towards Israel comes despite his and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion that Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and subsequently move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, nearly 70 years after Israel's establishment, was a historic decision. However, according to the English section of the Times of Israel, these decisions, which pleased Israelis, have caused a division within the American Jewish community. Fifty-six percent of American Jews said they are dissatisfied with Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, while 44 percent expressed satisfaction. Washington's government also executed a major $38 billion military aid package to Israel for the next decade, which was approved during Barack Obama's administration, and the Trump and Netanyahu administrations viewed it as another sign of the strength of relations between the two countries. The Trump administration also withdrew from the JCPOA, the nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran, amid deep satisfaction from Netanyahu's government. However, according to the English section of the Times of Israel, currently, 75 percent of American Jews express disinterest in Trump, which is two percent less than a survey conducted 13 months ago. Fifty-nine percent of American Jews have stated that they might vote for someone in the upcoming congressional elections who supports Israeli government policies; 32 percent said they would not vote for such a person. While 92 percent of American Jews consider themselves supporters of Israel, 59 percent have stated that issues related to Israel, alongside important domestic issues in the U.S., are significant to them. A significant majority of American Jews consider these matters important; 83 percent consider health issues, 90 percent Supreme Court decisions, 84 percent social security issues, and 87 percent economic issues in the U.S. as criteria for their voting. In this survey, 64 percent of American Jews described their character and lifestyle as liberal, while only 29 percent described it as conservative.