“Forward-thinking.” “Egomaniac.” “A sense of God in his life.” “Controlling.” “Lunatic.” “A good Achashverosh.” These are some of the descriptions that the people of Jerusalem have used this week to describe the newly inaugurated Donald Trump.
On two sunny but chilly days, four interns at The Jerusalem Post set out into the streets of this diverse city to hear how Jerusalemites were feeling about Trump’s becoming America’s 47th president.
Trump was sworn in for his second, non-consecutive term this month, and while Americans are divided over his presidency and the fate of the United States, Israelis are cautiously hopeful for their country.
From Mamilla Mall to the Mahaneh Yehuda market, in both English and Hebrew, the interviewees voiced optimism about Israel’s future, thoughts and criticisms regarding Trump as a person, and biblical analogies of his leadership and power. 
Roni and Yonatan
Roni and Yonatan, a couple eating in a restaurant at the shuk, said that they thought Trump’s administration would be good “because everything that he says is pro-Israel,” though they noted his motivation may not necessarily be the right one.
“He wants to bring back the hostages and everything, too,” Roni said. “But it’s not from the right spot. It’s not to bring back the hostages, [it’s so] people will say ‘Trump [brought] back the hostages,’ and the price we will pay… will be very high and very hard for Israel.
“We live in Judea and Samaria. We will feel it, all the [terrorists] they release.”
Miriam from New York
Miriam Herman, visiting from the Big Apple, expressed optimism about the future of Israel with Trump as US commander-in-chief.
“He supports everything that we stand for, that this is a Jewish state first, and he acknowledges that,” she affirmed. “You don’t have to be Jewish to acknowledge that this is the only Jewish state on the planet and we have every right to do what we need to do to protect ourselves and our peoplehood.”
Speaking of whether Trump’s presidency would benefit the US and other parts of the world, Herman thought that it would.
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“The US is the epicenter of the world, so when things are going well there, it has a ripple effect,” she said. “We’re going to start seeing things calm down everywhere; we’re already seeing it. We’ve been seeing the shock waves, so baruch Hashem [bless God] it’s going be a bumpy road, but it’s going to be good.”
Asked if she had likes or dislikes of Trump as a person, Herman said, “He’s not my buddy and I think that’s one of the mistakes that people may hold on to, thinking that he’s your friend.”
“He’s hired to do a job,” she added. “These are hired people who do their jobs, that’s all I care about.”
Canadians in Jerusalem
From Trump’s first term to today, the feelings of a Canadian couple living in the Holy City have remained constant. They see him as someone with conservative values who is good for America – though they note that he’s also “very much aware of the pro-Palestinian narrative.”
“There is a prophetic call for him to be here at this time and he may not know it,” they said. “God has a plan to use Trump for purposes that will help Israel.”
They added that “he came within a millimeter of being killed in an assassination attempt,” and, as a result, “he came out of that saying that basically there is a God who spared his life to make America great again.
“So he has a sense of God in his life. And how that plays out, we’ll see.”
Haredi from LA
An ultra-Orthodox man from Los Angeles said one couldn’t speak about Trump’s new administration without examining his previous one.
“The main facts that come to mind are that none of the people who worked for him wanted to work for him again. I guess they considered him an egomaniac,” he suggested.
Speaking from the Old City, the man said that he grew up Democratic and non-religious but shifted to the Right and became religious in recent years.
“I have somewhat both perspectives,” he said. “I agree with some of what he’s done, but not what he’s done in this term [so far]; like a couple of things he’s done in this term are insane. I think he’s insane. He’s a big egomaniac, which is counterproductive to what people need.”
He continued: “I am a little nervous about these next four years, although as a religious person I also think that God has a big sense of humor, and I think Trump won’t last a month.”
When asked about the future of Israel and Trump’s influence, he noted that the recent hostage-ceasefire deal did not fully match what the Right wanted.
“The Right in Israel didn’t want the deal so much because it wouldn’t bring everybody home, and it leaves us in a precarious position regarding the enemies in Gaza,” he said. “But at the same time, there was nothing else to do. There was no opportunity for another kind of deal. So it’s good that we’ve seen seven young women come home so far. That’s a miracle itself, but you can’t stop thinking about others who are still down there.”
He concluded: “Trump just has a persona that seemingly affects things.”
Israeli-American teen
A 15-year-old Israeli with American parents noted that Trump was “very forward-thinking” but also capable of losing his mind.
“In general, I think he’s better for Israel [than the Biden administration]; but he’s also a lunatic, so he can wake up in the morning and decide he hates us,” she opined.
When asked if she thought Trump would benefit the world as a whole, the young Israeli was optimistic: “I hope so because he’s very controlling and he has a lot of power, so I hope he wants what’s best for the world.”
Raphael from Germany
Raphael, visiting from Berlin, noted that Trump was “quite a controversial man.”
“I would say I’m a bit skeptical, but we Germans are quite distanced; we don’t have these ‘reality stars’ in politics usually, and it is fascinating and a bit scary, I would say.”
Speaking from a German perspective, Raphael said he saw a chance for Europe to increase its independence from the US.
“He’s a challenge in many ways in that he pushes Germany to invest more in, let’s say, military things, self-defense; Europe has to be more independent,” he concluded.
Eran on Megillat Esther
Eran, speaking outside the Central Bus Station, said Trump had not been president long enough to determine how he felt about the two-term president.
“As he said, God saved him because he has a mission for the world, for America,” Eran said. “If he stands by the Jewish people and helps the Jewish people destroy their enemies and expel all the enemies that [are] living here, he’s a good guy.”
Eran noted, “It doesn’t matter what non-Jews say, it matters what the Jewish people do.” He pointed out that Israel’s future depends on the actions of the Jewish people and that, according to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, this was “the most important thing.”
“It’s like in Megillat Esther with Achashverosh: He gave the Jewish people the freedom to fight their enemies, but he was just an actor in the story,” Eran said. “Mordechai and Esther were the real heroes. So Trump can be a good Achashverosh, but he cannot be Mordechai – that is the duty of Mashiach [the Messiah].”
Mila, a European American
Mila Hess, 56, a former New Yorker who lived in Europe before making aliyah to Jerusalem, was thrilled to discuss the new president.
“I am over the moon. In my opinion, he is a savant. He may not be to everyone’s taste, and his mode of expression may not always be up to certain standards, but his heart is in the right place and he has the courage of his convictions and a giant presence,” she said.
She pointed out that in an interview when he was relatively young, he was asked whether he would ever want to be president. He said “Not really,” but said he would be if he were ever needed.
“When I watched the inauguration,” she recounted, “I saw a group of good people, wanting to pull their country up from the brink of disaster. Obama, Biden, and Harris allowed the United States to be overrun by Islamic authoritarianism and moral insanity. Trump is back to bring us all back on track and, together with Israel, save humanity from the brink.”
Hess said she believed that “with the backing of a sensible US, Israel can cooperate with other Middle Eastern countries in bringing down Iran and defeating the axis of evil. A new chapter in the history of the world has begun.”
Word from a hometown girl
Eve Pearl, 47, an American who’s resided in Jerusalem’s Old Katamon neighborhood for the past 15 years, has been a staunch Trump fan since the beginning. Being that her hometown is New York City, she noted enthusiastically, “I feel I’ve been along on this journey with him.”
“The New York Post has been covering his escapades in living color since I was a little girl! From real estate mogul to an affair with Marla Maples that led to his ill-fated second marriage, to The Apprentice to president (twice!)… It’s been quite the unexpected ride.
“I also enjoy his New York attitude, with The Donald having grown up in Jamaica Estates, Queens, not far from where I grew up, in Hillcrest. I usually don’t find him offensive, though less biting posts wouldn’t hurt. He may be a jerk and insensitive at times, but he’s my jerk!” she said.
“I think one has to tune out some of the over-the-top rhetoric and get to how he governs – which, in my opinion, is very effective both domestically and internationally, and the world is safer for it.
“Moreover, how a Jew could think he’s antisemitic is beyond me! He’s been a gift to Israel.”
Pearl said she was “looking forward to seeing him stamp out DEI and the still-hard-to-believe pro-Hamas activities on college campuses, and bringing a return to sanity and great American values.”
“That said, his second term might be different than his first. He’s a new man, one who’s survived an assassination attempt – as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s machinations! But I am cautiously optimistic,” she admitted.
“God bless America, and God bless 47th US President Donald J. Trump.”
Who’s who in Donald Trump’s ‘mishpacha’ – and what are the Kushners up to?
America’s president has been married three times – twice to women who immigrated to the US from Eastern Europe. From his first marriage to the Czech-born Ivana Trump, he has three children: Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. During his second marriage to Marla Maples – who is from the US state of Georgia – daughter Tiffany was born. Trump and his third and current wife, Slovenian former model Melania, are parents to his youngest: a son, 18, the extraordinarily tall Barron.
In 2009, Trump’s dignified daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism before marrying New Jersey native Jared Kushner. They reportedly send their children to a Modern Orthodox day school. The Kushners served as White House advisers during Trump’s first administration and were regarded by proud fellow “members of the tribe” as the Jewish face of the administration. Jared, in particular, played a major role in the 2020 Abraham Accords.
After Trump’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2020, the couple left Washington, DC, the following year and moved to Miami to focus on family life. They are said to be down to earth and fitting in nicely with the sprawling Jewish community there.
In 2020, Ivanka Kushner was awarded the Friend of Israel Award by the Israeli-American Council in Las Vegas, presented by top IAC donors Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.
In December 2023, the Kushners traveled to Israel to express solidarity with the Jewish state after Oct. 7. During their brief trip, they visited Kfar Aza and heard testimonies from former and local residents, ZAKA volunteers, and Border Police and IDF soldiers who fought against Hamas in the attacks.
The interviews for this article were conducted by Raquel G. Frohlich, Yuval Levy, Ariela Ohrenstein, Abigail Rubinstein. Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
