Israel’s GOP head declares election victory for Trump

Marc Zell says the Republicans’ stronger hold on the Senate is more important than the Democratic success in flipping the House.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

In an interview with Arutz 7 Wednesday following the results of Tuesday’s mid-term elections in the United States, Chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel Marc Zell declared victory for President Donald Trump.

Although the Democrats managed to recapture the House of Representatives, they did not improve their position in the Senate and are even set to lose ground there, as the Republicans have a lock on 51 seats and are predicted to pick up at least a few of the yet-to-be-decided states of Arizona, Montana, Florida and Mississippi.

A runoff election will be held on November 27 for the undecided states where neither candidate won an outright majority.

Zell called the split between the House and the Senate “a tie of sorts, since there are mixed results,” pointing to what he sees as two advantages.

The Republicans’ “increased stability” in the Senate will make it easier for the administration to push through cabinet and judicial nominees, including to the Supreme Court, as well as forging treaties with foreign governments, which is all approved by the Upper House, Zell noted.

Giving the president a ‘scapegoat’

Having a Democratic House, he continued, will give the president a “scapegoat.”

“If the Democrats do not cooperate and attack him as they threaten to do, he will blame them and that will help him in the presidential campaign of 2020. So this really was a victory for all intents and purposes, as [Trump] said,” Zell said.

Asked if control of the House could nevertheless present trouble for Trump in the form of investigations or even an impeachment attempt, the 65-year-old Israeli-American brushed the concern aside.

“If they do this, it will cost them dearly,” he stated. “History teaches that when the opposition does it, like the Republicans tried [impeaching] Clinton in ’98, it boomeranged and caused the Republicans a big loss in the ’98 midterms. So Donald Trump will be very happy if they try such a thing.”

Zell, a long-time resident of Gush Etzion, said the Senate victory shows that most Americans are behind the president.

“The enthusiasm among his base was even stronger than in 2016,” he said, although he did acknowledge warning signs from certain suburbs known as Republican strongholds that flipped to blue this time around. In his opinion, however, “the way the Republicans are situated for the next round is really good, and we can use it to our advantage to re-elect President Trump” in two years’ time.”