Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, didn't sugar coat President Joe Biden's poor debate performance when talking with The Post last week.
"We've been very candid and honest that he didn't have a good night," she told The Post on Friday.
However, on Friday as some Democratic strategists, pundits and editorial boards called for Biden to remove himself from the race, Soifer said JDCA and Jewish Americans will continue to stand with Biden because, "he stands with them."
A survey commissioned by the American Jewish Committee conducted from March 12-April 6 of this year found 61% of American Jews said they would vote for Biden, compared to the 23% who would vote for former President Donald Trump.
The AJC's survey overwhelmingly found American Jews to favor Biden over Trump on his handling of antisemitism and the US-Israel relationship.
We've never had a president with a longer, or stronger, record of supporting Israel than Biden, Soifer said.
"He's been a supporter of Israel longer than many of us have been alive, and this is a positive aspect of his age and experience," Soifer said. "His support of Israel predates October 7, but has been unequivocal in the aftermath of that horrific attack."
Soifer noted that Biden did reiterate key points in the debate, including his support of Israel and support of getting the hostages released, and that he shares Israel's objectives of defeating Hamas.
While Soifer thought Biden was clear in the debate in terms of his support of Israel, she said Trump didn't really say anything about Israel, other than the usual "empty, meaningless bluster, such as the attacks of October 7 wouldn't have happened if he were president."
"That means nothing," Soifer said. "And of course we all know, and every Israeli knows, that's not true."
Criticism of Trump
Soifer criticized Trump's debate performance, including his use of Palestinian as a negative, racial slur against Biden, which she called derogatory and offensive.
When speaking about Israel Trump also failed to mention the hostages, Soifer said.
"[Trump] has never once mentioned the hostages being held by Hamas," claimed Soifer.
Soifer told The Post that on Friday, JDCA held an event for its members with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, a leading Jewish Democratic congresswoman from Florida.
"We confronted the undeniable reality that Biden had a bad debate, but also talked about the fact that one night, and one debate does not define an election," Soifer said. "And the stakes could not be higher in 2024."
Soifer told The Post she and JDCA members were comforted by Biden's campaign event in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, where a lively, more energetic president acknowledged his debate performance wasn't up to par.
Mark Mellman, CEO of Democratic Majority For Israel, echoed Soifer in saying that Biden is going to be the Democratic presidential nominee.
According to Mellman, the reality is there's no clear and ready process for removing Biden as a candidate, and it's not going to happen.
"President Biden is going to be the nominee, and he's going to be a strong pro-Israel nominee, as he has been a strong pro-Israel president," Mellman told The Post. "And he made that clear again [during the debate]."
Trump proved that he is a serial liar, fundamentally dishonest and that's not something we can afford to have in the White House, Mellman said.
A lot of people think the debates are the real test, but the reality is debating skills have nothing to do with presidency skills, Mellman said.
"Being a good showman in a debate doesn't tell you anything about how good a president you're going to be," Mellman said. "And Joe Biden has proven he's up to the job every day, doing the job he's doing, he's achieving results in the US-Israel relationship, he's achieving results for Israel and he's achieving results for Americans."
Mellman said Biden's debate performance will have no real impact on the final result of the election, as Americans understand the threat Trump represents and are committed to making sure Biden triumphs over Trump.
Sam Markstein, a spokesperson for the Republican Jewish Coalition, said CNN's debate moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash did a great job of bringing up issues of concern to the Jewish community, and that Trump gave great answers.
According to Markstein it was clear Trump was stronger and more forceful on topics from Gaza to Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific.
"Biden just looked really weak and frail and totally out of his depth," Markstein told The Post. "I thought Trump was very direct, pointing out that with his administration, we had peace and security in the world. And with Biden, the whole world is blowing up."
Markstein said Jewish Americans across the country saw a president who did not have a grasp on the issues.
"If you have never voted for a Republican before, I think this is the year to seriously consider doing it," Markstein said. "Because the stakes are so high, and the commander in chief is not mentally with it."