Remarks to the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada

[As prepared for delivery.]

Shabbat shalom. It's great to be back at the RJC. I wish we were meeting under better conditions. But here we are. It's nice to have so many Israel supporters in one room. Lord knows we need more in America right now.

The world is on fire. But here in America, we're acting like it's September 10, when we were blind to the world's dangers. We need to remember what it felt like on September 12. America has to get this right. For the sake of our brothers and sisters in Israel. For the sake of the American people.

We need to wake up. We need to regain our moral clarity. And we don't just need to remind ourselves about the difference between good and evil. We need to commit ourselves to ensure that good defeats evil. That means fighting anti-Semitism in Congress and college campuses. And it means giving Israel everything she needs to destroy Hamas – once and for all!

The video that just played showed some of the battles we've fought together.

We fought BDS. We fought bias at the United Nations. We fought to defund UNRWA and leave the UN Human Rights Council. We defended America's decision to acknowledge the truth that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

We won a lot of important victories. But the reason we won is what I want to discuss today. We won because we stood on principle.

In this room, we understand the fundamental difference between right and wrong – between good and evil. And when we see evil, we must always meet it head-on. Not with half-steps and empty words. Not with fear. But with strong action and a full-throated defense of truth.

America needs that spirit now. We need leaders who stand on principle, without apology and without exception. And nowhere do we need that kind of leader more than in the Oval Office.

What's happening in Israel is a clear-cut case of good and evil. It doesn't get more clear than freedom-loving people defending themselves from barbaric terrorists.

I'm glad that many in both parties are supporting Israel right now. I'm glad Joe Biden is saying some of the right things. But his actions haven't always matched his words. If you stand with Israel, you don't cozy up to Iran. Biden followed in Obama's Iran-sympathizing footsteps by helping Israel's number-one enemy.

There would be no Hamas without Iran. And there would be no murders without Iran giving the green light.

It took a massacre of biblical proportions to get Biden to stand up for Israel. I pray that it lasts, but I won't hold my breath.

We've seen this too many times. Whenever Israel gets hit, the same drama plays out. At first, there's sympathy. But when Israel fights back, the sympathy quickly fades.

There's moral equivocation. There's baseless criticism. There's willingness to believe the obvious lies of Israel's enemies. And it all leads to the same place – the demand that Israel stop defending itself.

It's already started in some quarters – and I don't just mean those anti-Semites who call themselves "the Squad." More than 1,400 Jews were murdered in cold blood. Yet now people are calling for "restraint" and a "cease fire." It's an insult of the worst kind.

Tune out the noise. It's not enough to say, "never again." We have to eliminate the terrorists so they can never do it again!

America can never be neutral between good and evil. We must pick a side. And we serve our own national interests best when we side with good.

This principle matters now more than ever. But it doesn't just apply to Israel. Good and evil are at war around the world.

Ukraine is a peaceful, pro-American country. The dictator of Russia is evil. He's a war criminal who's guilty of genocide. We should give Ukraine what it needs to kick Russia out of its country.

To be clear, Israel and Ukraine have significant differences. But they have even more significant similarities.

In both Israel and Ukraine, an evil regime is responsible for starting a war. Iran and Russia are joined at the hip. And they're both unlimited partners of Communist China. Iran, Russia, and China are all part of an unholy alliance. They have no problem invading their neighbors. They have no regard for human life.

And they all share the same goal. They want to wipe out freedom. And they hate America more than anyone. Their ultimate goal is to destroy us. Just listen to what their dictators say. They tell us their goals very plainly.

This is not just about Israel's security or Ukraine's security. This is profoundly about America's security.

It's shocking and appalling that so many of our leaders and would-be leaders don't get this. It's not just Joe Biden. There are plenty of Democrats and Republicans who fail to understand the nature of the threats we face. You've already heard from some of them today. And I'm not today's last speaker.

Mark my words. Those who would abandon Ukraine today are at risk of abandoning Israel tomorrow. They've lost sight of who our friends are, who our enemies are, who is good and who is evil. That is NOT who you want in the Oval Office!

History will record that Donald Trump was a pro-Israel president. Getting out of the Iran deal was necessary. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital was a wrong made right. The Abraham Accords were historic. I'm happy to give President Trump the credit he deserves. And I was honored to have played a part in those efforts.

But as Americans, we need to ask a critical question. We all know what Trump did in the past. The question is… what will he do in the future?

We are living through the most dangerous period in our lifetimes. It feels like Jimmy Carter's 1970s. But the better comparison might be the 1930s. There's war in Europe. There's war in the Middle East. Communism is on the march – not in the Soviet Union, but in China.

Like the 1930s, the darkest forces on earth are aligned against freedom. And all too often, they want to wipe out the Jewish people by any means necessary.

As a military wife whose husband is currently deployed, and as the mom of two children, nothing matters to me more than stopping war, keeping the peace, and protecting the American people. We must defend our freedom – before it's too late.

The stakes couldn't be higher. And given those stakes, we cannot have four years of chaos, vendettas, and drama.

We can't afford to go down that road – not now. Eight years ago, it was good to have a leader who broke things. But right now, we need a leader who also knows how to put things back together.

America needs a captain who will steady the ship, not capsize it. And Republicans need a candidate who can actually win.

We can't let Joe Biden get re-elected. He's bad enough. But even worse is waiting in the wings. A vote for President Biden is a vote for President Kamala Harris. We can't survive a President Kamala Harris.

Every poll shows that I easily beat Biden and Harris. Fox. NBC. CNN. You name it. They don't show that for anyone else in this race.

But while the polls are notable, principles matter a lot more.

As president, I will not compliment Hezbollah. Nor will I criticize Israel's prime minister in the middle of tragedy and war. We have no time for personal vendettas.

I will also not compliment Chinese Communist President Xi. Nor will I call North Korea's Kim Jong Un my friend.

These are not good or smart people. Along with Iran's ayatollah, they're the most evil dictators in the world. And the last thing they want is an American president who knows it and calls them out on it.

They want us to stay divided, distracted, and morally confused.

Well, I've said it before. With all due respect, I don't get confused.

I know what evil looks like. I dealt with it every day at the UN.

I will rally the forces of good to prevail, with the kind of strength that leads to peace.

As president, we'll rebuild our military. We'll stand with our friends. We'll stand up to our enemies.

We don't need to do that with blank checks and American troops. We will do it by showing the resolve and moral clarity that our enemies understand. A strong America does not start wars. A strong America prevents wars!

There's so much more I could say today. Not only about the challenges we face abroad, but also the serious problems we face at home. Our open borders. Our nearly $34 trillion national debt. Our failing schools, which are leaving an entire generation of children behind. The list is far longer than it should be.

Rest assured, as president, I'll tackle every challenge we face – with grit and grace – with courage and conviction. We'll restore an America that's strong and proud. We'll remember who we are as a people, and what we stand for as a country.

But October 7 reminds us of the evil that exists in the world. It's a day that should live in our minds forever. And it kicked off a crisis that will be with us for some time.

Make no mistake, the heartbreaking pictures will continue to roll in. The stories of brutality will grow more numerous, and more painful. We know it. And we know that what lies ahead will not be easy.

But nothing has ever been easy for the Jewish people, or for Israel. Maybe that's because God knows their strength and spirit. God knows His people have many lessons left to teach the world.

I have to be honest. It's hard to know this happened, after we prayed "never again" for so many years. Those words used to be so powerful. Now they feel empty. Our duty, today, is to give them meaning once again. And that starts by leaning on what we know is true.

The truth is, we have a good God. And we know that His goodness lives in our world. We saw it in the countless heroes of October 7. We saw it when Israel's colors lit up the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, and the Brandenburg Gate. We saw God's goodness in the outpouring of support that descended on Israel from around the world. And while evil is trying to claw its way back, God's goodness is still clear, and it always will be.

And so, I do have hope. We will get through this. Israel will get through this. And she'll come back stronger than she was before. I know it, because of a truth I learned years ago. No one can destroy what God has blessed. And not only has God blessed Israel – God has blessed those who stand with her. And I promise: if I have any say in the matter, America will always stand with Israel.