This interview is part of Moment’s Jewish Political Voices Project. To learn more about the project, click here. To see our other participants, click here. To see all posts from Abby, click here.
Age: 53
Occupation: Academic program manager at local university
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Party Registration: Republican
Jewish Denomination: Orthodox
2020 Vote: Donald Trump
Current 2024 Vote: Will support Republican nominee, presumably Trump
Family: Married, four children
News Sources: The Wall Street Journal, i24 News, Real Clear Politics, The New York Times, Tablet, Mosaic, Commentary Blog, Jewish Insider, The Free Press, Jewish News Service
Do the felony convictions diminish Trump? Do they help Biden?
So the short answer is, come November, I’ll be looking at who’s on the ballot. And as a Republican voter, if Donald Trump is allowed legally, based on our Constitution, to be a candidate for president, no, it will not have an impact on my vote, I would still be perfectly comfortable voting for him.
And the longer answer?
For the longer answer, the Trump convictions, and those of Hunter Biden, illuminate a problem in our legal system. We Americans have to have confidence in the rule of law and the application of the law. These cases expose potential significant and serious questions about the fair application of the law, and that there should not be a two-tiered legal system. We don’t want there to be a system where you get prosecuted because of who you are, or you get convicted because of who you are—or you don’t get convicted because of who you are, or you don’t get prosecuted because of who you are. The law is supposed to be blind to the individual. It is supposed to be applied across the board and fairly. The case against Hunter Biden only came about because of who he is. The case against Trump simply would not have been brought had he not been Donald J. Trump. We have to have confidence in our public institutions.
We have a legal system that is going to be totally selective—in both directions. We don’t want a corrupt system just because the guy that we hate is getting convicted. That’s not supposed to be the way our system works. We are supposed to want a color-blind, socio-economic blind, fame-and-power blind legal system. And that’s not what we have.
What about Israel and Gaza? Are you satisfied Biden is doing all he can? Would Trump do a better job?
Trump already has done a better job in the Middle East than Biden: The moving of the embassy to Jerusalem, the Abraham Accords, the fact that his whole foreign policy was directed against Iran, which is our main enemy in the Middle East. Iran is conducting a jihadist war against Israel and the United States, but President Biden is not at war with Iran. And just to back up a bit, in what universe is the U.S. president supposed to be negotiating a ceasefire for another sovereign nation? Why is he not negotiating a ceasefire for Ukraine? I’d be glad if he would turn his attention to that issue. I am very much voting about Biden’s response to October 7. He is failing to support our greatest ally in the Middle East.
Beyond that, he has a problem in his own party with the left wing of his own party. President Bill Clinton did a much better job of of telling the left at that time that they had to change their tune. If Biden were to turn his efforts into making sure the Democratic Party remained his party, I would be much more inclined to consider him for a second term.
What did you make of the candidates’ performances at the first debate?
I did not watch the debate but the rest of my family did. I am no more optimistic about the election than I was before the debate. I have not changed my mind about voting for Donald Trump for president.
What about the Supreme Court’s recent immunity decision?
I do not believe the Supreme Court decision regarding immunity means the court is overstepping its bounds. Indeed, if we are to restore our faith in institutions like the courts, Congress, the executive branch and the universities, we have to start with the institutions that are working as they should, including the Supreme Court. The decision regarding immunity is less important to me as a voter than the decision to curb the deference to administrative agencies in last week’s overturning of the Chevron decision.