Read the full transcript of former President Donald Trump’s speech at an event remembering the October 7th attacks on Israel by Hamas in Doral, Florida, on October 7, 2024.
Listen to the audio version here:
TRANSCRIPT:
Remembering October 7th: A Solemn Gathering
DONALD TRUMP: Very special woman, I have to say that. Friend of mine for a long time. And she is very, very special. And her husband is. I mean, this was one tough cookie. He loved Israel. And you talk about special. That was a special man, wasn’t he? It was great.
So I want to thank you very much, Miriam, and for all of the exceptional commitment that you’ve given to the safety and security and the prosperity of the United States and Israel.
Hurricane Warning
Before we begin, I would like to tell you that there’s a very violent hurricane that’s coming down the line. And it’s a Category 5, which is something that I’ve never heard — a Category 5 actually coming onto land, but it looks like it’s going to. And right smack in the middle of Florida, nobody’s seen a line like that. And it’s heading there quickly.
I have to tell you that I called Miriam. I said, I was in New York, and I said, “Miriam, maybe I shouldn’t be flying. I think I’m the only person that flew down to Florida tonight because I didn’t have a chance with her. So, you know, I said, Miriam, maybe I should stay back. And, you know, heading into a hurricane, Miriam.” It made no difference. “No, no, you have to be here. Our friends are there.” And I said, “Okay, when you say that, I’m going to be there 100 percent. I’m going to be there.”
I was watching the airplane highways, and they were all heading this way as I was going that way. They said, “What’s he doing?” But I wouldn’t have missed this. Regardless, I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. This is a very special time, and it’s a very special day. This is the day we have to do it. This was the day we had to do it. We don’t have to postpone it for a week. This is the day. Because I’m looking forward to coming back and maybe seeing all of these seats filled up the next time. That’s what I want. Right? That’s what we want.
Prayers for Safety
So, we’re praying for Florida, and we hope everyone is safe. And we’re praying for North Carolina and all of the different places. You look at Georgia and Alabama and Tennessee and South Carolina and Florida. It’s amazing. This has been an amazing period of time. But the response has been very weak, unbelievably weak. Nobody’s ever seen such a weak response. So, we have to get a strong response. And now we have another one coming, and it looks like it’s going to be a whopper.
Acknowledgments
I also want to thank Rabbi Kaplan for doing such a great job. I appreciate it. Your son, I appreciate that. And we have a lot of very, very powerful people here tonight. Great people. Senator Rick Scott, a big fan of Miriam, and a big fan of Israel. Members of Congress, Carlos Giménez, Mario Diaz-Balart. Thank you. Maria Salazar, Guy Reschenthaler, David Kustoff, Congressman Lee Zeldin. He’s helping us win New York. We got to win New York. We’re going to see if we can do it, right, Lee? We’re going to see if we can do it.
Ambassador David Friedman, what a job he did. Everybody loved him. Robin Bernstein. Where’s Robin? Robin. Hi, Robin. How are you? Good job you did as the ambassador. And Duke Yukon, thank you very much. You raised a lot of money for our campaign. We appreciate it.
The Counsel General, and I think you all know. Mara, where are you? Where is he? Where is he? What a good job you’ve done. Where are you? Thank you very much. What a beautiful job. Thank you very much. Thank you.
And Florida House members Danny Perez and Randy Fine. Randy Fine. Where is Randy Fine? Randy Fine’s been out there. Thank you, Randy. Great job. State Senator Ileana Garcia. Keith Rabois. Thank you. Ed Russo. Oh, Ed Russo, the environmental specialist. Whenever I have a problem, I call Ed Russo, and he solves the environmental problem for me. We appreciate it.
And somebody who’s been a great defender of ours on television, on Fox, and elsewhere, but particularly on Fox, Elizabeth Pipko. Where’s Elizabeth? She has been so, so great. Thank you, Elizabeth.
And a person — one of the greatest businesspeople in the country, in the United States, and I think actually beyond. And she’s been a fan, and I’ve been a fan of hers, but she’s been a friend of mine for a long time. Safra Katz. Thank you very much. Thank you, Safra. Haven’t seen you. You look well.
So, we’re here this evening in solemn remembrance of one of the darkest hours in all of human history. One year ago today, every civilized person was filled with shock and horror and grief at the news of an evil and so absolute that — and nobody’s seen anything like it. Nobody’s seen anything that it really can barely be described. You can’t describe it.
October 7th was not just the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. It was not just the worst terror attack since 9-11. It was an attack on humanity itself. It was a hideous, incredible cruelty. It was chilling savagery. It was demonic delight. And the destruction of innocent life on October 7th, it seemed as if the gates of hell had sprung open and unleashed their horrors onto the world. And that’s exactly what happened. What a moment in time. What a moment in horrible history. Horrible history.
Today, we mourn more than 1,200 innocent victims of the October 7th attacks, whose memory we honor with 1,200 beautiful individual candles.
And we honor them with grace and with gratitude for their lives and for their families, what their families have gone through. And maybe we’ll have a moment of silence, please. Thank you very much.
To every family that lost a loved one — I know so many of them — on that terrible day, including several here tonight, we grieve with you, we stand with you, and we make you this sacred vow. Very simple vow, a vow you’ve heard many times, and sometimes it’s honored and sometimes it’s not. But this will be honored never again. Never again.
The Hostage Crisis
The monsters who perpetrated those murders also took over 250 hostages — men, women, and children, including 12 Americans. In so doing, they inflicted the most unthinkable torture not only on their captives, but also on the families who were forced to live day after day in excruciating agony and pain. Not knowing whether their loved ones were dead or alive, can you think of anything worse?
Tonight, we send our love to every innocent soul who remains in Hamas captivity. We just are not going to stand for it. We’re not going to take it. We’re not going to take it any longer. We pray that, through the darkness, they know that we have not forgotten them, that we have not forsaken them. We will never forsake them, and we will never abandon them. And with God’s help, they will come safely home, and it will be soon. We hope it will be very soon. Very, very soon. And we hope they’re safe.
Nobody knows. I was talking to somebody today, and the family has no idea. They think their boy is safe. Beautiful boy. Beautiful young guy. American. He went over there to enjoy and to pray, and they’ve never seen him again. But they think he’s alive. And can you imagine that? Can you even imagine?
United with Israel
Let me also say to all of the people of Israel who have endured a long year’s search of anger and slander and war, our hearts are united with yours. We are very united with yours. The bond between the United States and Israel is strong and enduring. And if and when they say, when I’m President — I don’t say that. I never say that. If and when I’m President of the United States, it will once again be stronger and closer than it ever was before.
We have to win this election. If we don’t win this election, there’s tremendous consequence for everything. You know, I say that November 5th will be the most important day in the history of our country. I think it will also be the most important day in the history of Israel, if you want to know the truth. I believe that. I think you believe that, too. Thank you.
Confronting Denial and Anti-Semitism
Over the past year, there has been an effort by some to deny the horrors of October 7th, just as some unbelievably deny the Holocaust itself. And you have that, and you have people that actually say, oh, October 7th, it never happened. Where do these people come from? Where do they come from? And they don’t believe it. They don’t believe it. They want others to believe it. They don’t believe it.
That’s why it’s so important to remember and to state clearly for history what happened on that terrible day. The only way we can keep our vow is never again. And it really is to also say never, ever forget. We can never forget the nightmare of that day still hands, the horrible legacy of what’s taken place, the survivors, the families of the dead, and Jews all over the world, Hamas-raped, tortured, maimed, and murdered innocent civilians in the most barbaric ways imaginable. Nobody can believe what they saw. And it’s there for those to see, if you want to see it. It’s a terrible thing. I’ve seen it.
They paraglided into a music festival full of life and beauty. From the skies, they came and massacred young people who came for joy and happiness and peace. They were loving young people, wonderful young people, beautiful people. One young woman whose friend had been killed was seen begging on her knees for her life. She was begging, please, please. Her last words were, “Don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me.” Before the terrorists shot her dead in the face.
Elsewhere, a child and an adult were bound together with metal wire, burned alive. A baby was shot through the heart while still in the mother’s womb, ready to be born and shot.
Today, we reaffirm the entire world to hear there can be no acceptance, no excuse, and no understanding of this kind of evil. It’s the evil like nobody has ever seen before. Nothing can justify it. Nothing can rationalize it. And any person who sympathizes with it, with these terrible atrocities, there’s a sickness in their soul and a darkness in their heart. And these are people that can never be our allies or our friends.
The Rise of Anti-Semitism
Almost as shocking as October 7th itself is the outbreak of anti-Semitism that we have all seen in its wake. I never thought I was going to see this. Never, ever. This is so incredible to be witnessing. Whoever thought. We thought this was very, very rarefied, putrid air. We never thought we’d see it. And we certainly never thought we’d see it in this country. And a lot of that has to do with the leadership of this country.
This attack. Yeah, well, that’s, that’s true. We need leadership. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It’s very sad to see. I never thought I’d see it.
This attack should have rallied the entire world in support of the Jewish people and the Jewish homeland. Instead, an ancient scourge of anti-Jewish hatred. And this was something we thought was left to hundreds and thousands of years ago. I mean, this was something we never thought could happen.
The anti-Jewish hatred has returned, even here in America, in our streets, our media, and our college campuses, and within the ranks of the Democrat Party in particular. Not in the Republican Party. I will tell you that. It’s not in the Republican Party. And I say that the Republican Party has not been infected by this horrible disease. And hopefully it won’t be. It won’t be as long as I’m in charge. I can tell you that.
This endless candles, photos, and empty chairs remind us why it’s so important that the toxic poison of anti-Semitism be condemned, confronted, and stopped. Anti-Semitic bigotry has no place in a civilized society. It has no place in our universities. And it has no place in the United States of America. No place.
The Impact on Holocaust Survivors
Over 2,500 survivors of the Holocaust living in Israel were directly impacted by the horrors of October 7th. Many were forced to flee their homes. They cannot believe it happened. Some even lost their lives. Actually, many lost their lives. One of them was Moshe Ridler. Moshe was escaped from a concentration camp at the age of 11 only to die at the hands of the same vile hate eight decades later.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine his thought process when he saw this happening? Can you even imagine it? Hamas terrorists murdered Moshe at 91 years old for the same reason the Nazis put him in a camp, simply because he was a Jew.
A Call for Strong Leadership
The world cannot continue down this dangerous path. We must stop this perilous slide into conflict, hatred, and destruction. And we must really honestly stop it now. It cannot go on because it’s going to only get worse if it does.
The October 7th attack would never have happened if I was president. The past two years have proven that weakness only begets violence and war. And you see that. It’s weakness, but it’s also, there’s a lot of hatred going around also. Not just weakness, it’s hatred. There’s a lot of hatred on a certain side.
What is needed more than ever is a return of unwavering American leadership and unquestioned American strength. We were strong, we were powerful, we were respected like this country has not been respected in many, many decades, just four years ago. That’s what I intend to deliver as the 47th president of the United States. We’re going to deliver everything that we want.
Hope for the Middle East
As you know, Hamas has now been severely degraded and Hezbollah has recently been dealt very, very powerful crippling blows with strength and the right leadership, the dawn of a new, more harmonious Middle East is finally within our reach. It’s finally within our reach.
But you have no idea the role that the United States has to play in order to get that ball over the goal line. We have to get it into the end zone. And if it’s not the United States, it’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen. We have to be able to get it done and get it done properly and get back to a wonderful, beautiful way of life. You have to be able to do it. You have to finish what you began and you have to finish it quickly. So here is my commitment to you on the solemn date.
A Commitment to Israel and the Jewish People
I will not allow the Jewish state to be threatened with destruction. I will not allow another Holocaust of the Jewish people. I will not allow a jihad to be waged on America or our allies. And I will support Israel’s right to win its war on terror. And it has to win it fast. No matter what happens, it has to go fast. Thank you.
And I want to, while we’re at this point, I want to thank Mr. Steve Witkoff, a great entrepreneur in New York and Florida and elsewhere, I think everywhere, frankly. But he’s made a major contribution, so I just want you to know that. I think it’s appropriate to bring that up. What do you think? And Steve is the only one that doesn’t really care if I do, but he’s been very generous. Thank you very much, Steve. I appreciate it with this wonderful, beautiful boy.
Here at home, I will defend our American Jewish population. I will protect your communities, your schools, your places of worship and your values. We will remove the jihadist sympathizers and Jew haters. We’re going to remove the Jew haters who do nothing to help our country. They only want to destroy our country. And we will never let the horrors of October 7th be repeated here on Americans. We will not let that happen. And we will solve the problem that we have.
If you look at what happened just two days ago in New York City, I couldn’t believe it. I said, it’s starting all over again. The level of violence was as bad as it was last summer.
A Vision for the Future
If we can achieve all of that, we can really make sure that those who perished on October 7th will not have died in vain. They cannot have died in vain. You cannot let that happen. With God’s help, their sacrifice will have given way to a safer Jewish homeland, a stronger state of Israel, a more secure America. And at long last, we will have achieved the dream of some generations.
We are going to make this. We are going to turn this. And you can never say a total positive because all of those people that have died. But we’re going to turn this into something where they can be proud of what’s happened. They can say, we sacrificed our lives for something very special.
There has to be unity. There has to be peace. There has to be strength. We need so many qualities. We need every single quality. We’re going to bring it all together, and we will have peace in the Middle East. We will have strength and resilience, and we will have a very powerful and strong Israel. And I will be with you all the way.
Thank you very much. God bless you. And God bless the people of Israel. God bless America.
