Since January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have worked at a dizzying pace, keeping their promise to make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. So much has happened so fast in these 200-plus days that even veteran Washington insiders can barely keep up. Let’s take a moment to appreciate how Republicans have been winning on some of the top priority issues for the Jewish community.
President Trump has renewed the US-Israel strategic alliance and brought it to a new level. His decision to work with Israel and commit the US military to take down Iran’s nuclear weapons program changed history. Operation Midnight Hammer involved 125 aircraft on a 37-hour mission, extensive coordination and collaboration across multiple branches of the US armed services and with Israel, strong diplomatic work, and excellent intelligence. Its success changed the paradigm of the Middle East, relieving the US and our allies of the threat of a nuclear Iran for years to come. While Presidents of both parties said they would stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, President Trump did it.
Another indicator of the strong Republican support of Israel was House Speaker Mike Johnson’s visit to Israel this week, which included a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Samaria (the West Bank). Speaker Johnson is a righteous defender of the Jewish state and knows that Israel, like the US, is a bastion of democracy and freedom. It is the only country in the Mideast that respects and preserves the rights of people of all religions to their holy places and their cultural identity.
The roots of the US-Israel alliance run deep. The actions of President Trump and Republican leaders are tangible expressions of that connection; they strengthen the US-Israel alliance and make both the US and Israel more secure. The contrast with growing anti-Israel voices on the other side of the aisle could not be clearer: there is no doubt - there is only one pro-Israel party, the GOP.
On the domestic front, education is a Jewish communal priority. The legislation that President Trump dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) included a historic school choice provision of particular importance to Jewish families. It gives a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for donations to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs), up to $1700 per donor per year. States must opt in annually and determine which SGOs in their state are eligible to distribute scholarships. This provides a mechanism to raise and distribute billions of dollars in charitable donations to fund scholarships for children in non-public schools.
The OBBB was brought across the finish line by strong Republican-led majorities in the House and Senate, with the strong support of the President. Sadly, several Democratic governors have already declared their intention to block families from participating in this program, which will deny real school choice to families in those blue states.
The horrifying rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel attacks against American Jews is a top concern for our community. These 200 days have also seen many Executive Orders, House and Senate hearings, robust actions by the Department of Justice, and other efforts to protect the rights and security of Jewish Americans. Antisemitism on college campuses and in our neighborhoods will not be tolerated, and Republicans are leading the charge against it.
The speed and success of the President’s actions in these first 200 days are truly historic. Along with the Republican majorities in the House and Senate, President Trump is implementing the policies he campaigned for office on – the policies that the American people chose at the ballot box last year.
Can this momentum and level of achievement be maintained? Democrats will do everything they can to obstruct and tear down what Republicans are building, and if they win the majority in Congress next year, they will use that power to undo these gains. If Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor of New York City, if Chuck Schumer becomes Senate Majority Leader and Hakeem Jeffries becomes Speaker of the House, if the “Squad” adds a few more radical, anti-Israel leftists to its ranks in the House, and Bernie Sanders and his ilk hold a few more Senate seats… then much of what Republicans are doing right now will be lost. Elections do have consequences. Republicans are fixing, building, and setting right much that is needed to make America great again. In the months ahead, American voters must give them the support and opportunity to continue their necessary, historic work.
Norm Coleman is the former U.S. Senator from Minnesota and serves as National Chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition; Matt Brooks is CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition