US President Donald Trump has said he is surprised that Israel’s once-powerful lobby in Washington is losing influence in Congress, acknowledging a generational shift in opinion within his own Republican Party.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Caller on Friday, which was published on Monday, Trump said support for Israel in Congress was "a thing of the past" compared to its dominance two decades ago.
"I will tell you, Israel had the strongest lobby in Congress of anything or body, or of any company or corporation or state that I’ve ever seen," Trump said.
"Today, it doesn’t have that strong a lobby. It’s amazing."
He added that in the past, "you couldn’t speak badly" about Israel and remain in politics, but that now figures such as Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her progressive allies had changed the debate.
"Israel was the strongest lobby I’ve ever seen. They had total control over Congress, and now they don’t. I’m a little surprised to see that," Trump said.
The comments came after a March Pew Research Center poll showed that 53 percent of US adults viewed Israel unfavorably, up from 42 percent in 2022.
Among Republicans under 50, unfavourable views rose from 35 percent to 50 percent in the same period.
Losing ‘world of public relations’
Trump insisted he had been a strong supporter of Israel during his presidency, citing the strike against Iran and his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
But he acknowledged Israel was losing the "world of public relations," saying the carnage in Gaza was hurting its international standing.
"You have people that deny it ever happened," Trump said of the October 7 surprise blitz, adding, "They may be winning the war, but they’re not winning the world of public relations, and it is hurting them."
The remarks come as prominent right-wing figures in Trump’s orbit break with longstanding pro-Israel positions.
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene recently accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza, while former Trump strategist Steve Bannon has argued Israel is "not truly an ally" of the United States and has labelled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp untrustworthy.
Another prominent Republican lawmaker who adopted the same stance is Thomas Massie.
Other prominent right wing figures include political commentators such as Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson among others in the growing list.
