In light of the student protests that have swept across dozens of prestigious American universities in recent days, in ongoing opposition to the Israeli war on Gaza, former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the student movement. He stated that the students protesting at universities deny the occurrence of the October 7 attack, referring to the assault carried out by Hamas on Israeli settlements and military bases on the Gaza border. In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, he described these protesters as having "washed brains." He asserted that what happened on October 7 was extremely violent and unprecedented, and those protesting on campuses are denying that fact. Additionally, he emphasized the need to "let Israel continue its war on terrorism quickly," as he put it.
This comes just before New York police stormed Hamilton Hall at Columbia University and arrested dozens of students who had occupied the hall since Monday night. These comments also followed Trump previously stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to blame for Israel's failure to respond to Hamas's attack. In an interview with "Time" magazine, he noted that many Israeli officials are qualified to replace "Bibi" (Netanyahu), with whom he has a poor relationship, according to his description.
It is worth mentioning that the 77-year-old Trump, who is seeking the White House in the upcoming presidential election, holds a slight lead over his long-time rival Joe Biden, according to recent polls. Current Democratic President Biden has faced a decline in approval ratings among young voters, even within his party, due to what is perceived as a failure to stop the war on Gaza and his unconditional support for Israel.
