Trump promises to deport pro-Palestinian student protesters after poll win
What's the story
Former United States President Donald Trump has made a pledge to his campaign donors, promising to deport pro-Palestinian student protesters if he is re-elected for a second term.
Trump made a statement during a roundtable event in New York earlier this month, as reported by The Washington Post.
"One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country," Trump was quoted as saying on May 14.
Event details
Trump's remarks at New York roundtable event
The roundtable event, predominantly attended by Trump's Jewish friends, took place in New York.
According to sources quoted by The Independent, "98% of my Jewish friends" were present at the gathering.
During this meeting, Trump reportedly expressed support for Israel's actions against "terrorism."
He also characterized the pro-Palestinian protests as a "radical revolution" that he vowed to crush.
Protest response
Trump's stance on nationwide pro-Palestinian protests
The promise by Trump comes in response to a surge of pro-Palestinian protests across several US universities in April.
Students demanded colleges to divest from companies that support Israel and the war in Gaza, leading to over 2,000 protesters being arrested.
During the New York event, Trump commended the police department's recent actions in dispersing protesters at Columbia University and stated that nationwide demonstrations needed to be "stopped now."
Election promise
Trump's assurance to donors on protest movement
Trump further assured his donors that if re-elected, he would significantly "set back" the pro-Palestinian protest movement.
"Well, if you get me elected, and you should really be doing this, if you get me re-elecsted, we are going to set that movement back 25 or 30 years," he said according to donors cited by The Washington Post.