Donald Trump to speak at AIPAC conference
Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) later this month in Washington, D.C., according to an announcement from the group.
AIPAC tweeted out the scheduled speaking engagement Friday afternoon:
Trump is among several other notable speakers, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also be joining for a live satellite address.
In the past, Trump has had mixed receptions when speaking to Jewish groups.
At the Republican Jewish Coalition's presidential forum in December, the GOP front-runner was booed after he did not name Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
"You know what I want to do? I want to wait till I meet with Bibi, you know, I'm leaving for Israel in a very short period of time," Trump had said at the time. (Trump ended up cancelling the trip.)
And the brash billionaire made other missteps during the event, including telling the audience "you're not gonna support me because I don't want your money."
"You want to control your politicians, that's fine. Five months ago I was with you," he said. "I do want your support, but I don't want your money."
Trump has also been on the record as saying is was "neutral" when it comes to the fight between Israel and Palestine, a contentious stance among many Jewish voters.
During Thursday's debate in Miami, however, Trump tried again to appeal to pro-Israel voters.
"I think if we're going to ever negotiate a peace settlement, which every Israeli wants, and I've spoken to the toughest and the sharpest, they all want peace, I think it would be much more helpful is -- I'm a negotiator," he said on the debate stage. "If I go in, I'll say I'm pro-Israel and I've told that to everybody and anybody that would listen."
He also highlighted his ties to the Jewish community, mentioning that "I happen to have a son-in-law and a daughter that are Jewish, OK? And two grandchildren that are Jewish."
And, he added, "I was the grand marshal, not so long ago, of the Israeli Day Parade down Fifth Avenue. I've made massive contributions to Israel. I have a lot of -- I have tremendous love for Israel."
The AIPAC conference will be held from Mar. 20-22.