--- title: Donald Trump's Jerusalem Decision Hailed by Voters, Donors description: President Trump's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem was welcomed by evangelical voters, pro-Israel groups and major donors. canonical: https://time.com/5052363/president-trumps-decision-on-jerusalem-welcomed-by-evangelical-voters-pro-israel-groups-and-major-donors/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-07T19:07:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T23:47:24.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump's Decision on Jerusalem Welcomed by Evangelical Voters, Pro-Israel Groups and Major Donors og:description: "He will be genuinely loved in that room for doing this." og:url: https://time.com/5052363/president-trumps-decision-on-jerusalem-welcomed-by-evangelical-voters-pro-israel-groups-and-major-donors/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95837ffacd4e7a47/6988f419656a3f4e35bd2be3/trump-jerusalem-warning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5000 og:image:height: 2813 og:image:alt: President Trump Jerusalem Warning og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump's Decision on Jerusalem Welcomed by Evangelical Voters, Pro-Israel Groups and Major Donors twitter:description: "He will be genuinely loved in that room for doing this." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt95837ffacd4e7a47/6988f419656a3f4e35bd2be3/trump-jerusalem-warning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:59 video:published: 2017-12-06 section: world topics: Jerusalem, Israel, Palestinians, peace process, U.S. embassy relocation, diplomatic recognition, final status issues, Jerusalem Embassy Act genre: news, speech tones: assertive, formal, conciliatory, firm emotions: confidence (high), determination (high), hope (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: news readers, policy observers, diplomats, general public people: Donald Trump organizations: United States government, State Department, Israel, Palestinians content_suitability: politics [00:00-02:19]; war [00:00-01:56] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # President Trump's Decision on Jerusalem Welcomed by Evangelical Voters, Pro-Israel Groups and Major Donors > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=4fc8e231-a57b-4a9d-8f1c-408eb62734ed&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Trump Recognized Jerusalem as Capital of Israel. It May Hurt the Peace Process [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Recognized Jerusalem as Capital of Israel. It May Hurt the Peace Process](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/78RmvV0T.m3u8) (2:59)  _Published 2017-12-06. Defying dire, worldwide warnings, President Donald Trump on Wednesday broke with decades of U.S. and international policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary President Donald Trump announces that the United States officially recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He explains the decision as a recognition of reality and directs the State Department to begin preparations to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He states the decision does not depart from U.S. commitment to a lasting peace agreement and takes no position on final status issues such as borders and sovereignty in Jerusalem. ## Key points - After more than two decades of waivers, there is no closer a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. (00:00) - Trump argues that repeating the same formula would not produce a different or better result, so he has determined to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. (00:12) - Trump calls the recognition 'nothing more, or less, than a recognition of reality' and says it is also the right thing to do. (00:32) - Consistent with the Jerusalem Embassy Act, the State Department is directed to begin preparations to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. (00:46) - The process of hiring architects, engineers and planners for a new embassy will immediately begin. (00:58) - Trump states the decision is not a departure from the U.S. commitment to facilitate a lasting peace agreement. (01:18) - The United States is not taking a position on final status issues, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem and contested borders. (01:43) - Trump says the questions of final status are up to the parties involved and that the U.S. intends to do everything in its power to help forge an agreement acceptable to both sides. (01:56) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:32] Rationale for recognizing Jerusalem. Trump argues that decades of past approaches have failed to produce peace, so a new step is needed. - [00:32 to 00:46] Recognition framed as reality. Trump describes the recognition as a matter of reality and of doing the right thing. - [00:46 to 01:18] Directive to move the embassy. Trump directs the State Department to begin preparations to relocate the embassy to Jerusalem. - [01:18 to 01:43] Commitment to peace process. Trump says the decision does not depart from the U.S. commitment to a lasting peace agreement. - [01:43 to 02:19] Final status issues left to parties. Trump says boundaries and contested borders are for the parties to resolve while the U.S. aims to help forge an agreement. - [02:19 to 02:59] Closing remarks. Trump concludes his remarks with brief thanks and applause-like audio. ## Key quotes - [00:00] President Donald Trump: "After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians." - [00:32] President Donald Trump: "This is nothing more, or less, than a recognition of reality." - [00:46] President Donald Trump: "I am also directing the State Department to begin preparation to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem." - [01:43] President Donald Trump: "We are not taking a position of any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem" ## Questions this video answers - What did the United States officially recognize regarding Jerusalem? [00:22] - Why does the President say the decision was made? [00:12] - What action is being directed regarding the American Embassy? [00:46] - Does the decision take a position on final status issues such as borders? [01:43] - How does the President say the decision relates to the peace process? [01:18] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-02:19]: Presidential announcement on a contested diplomatic policy. - war [00:00-01:56]: Discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the peace process, with no depiction of violence.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:47 PM UTCPublished: Dec 7, 2017 7:07 PM UTC Defying dire, worldwide warnings, President Donald Trump on Wednesday broke with decades of U.S. and international policy by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:47 PM UTCPublished: Dec 7, 2017 7:07 PM UTC President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was welcomed by evangelical voters, pro-Israel organizations and some of his biggest donors. Though many Middle East experts warned that the decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital [could inflame tensions in the area](http://time.com/5044973/why-president-trumps-jerusalem-decision-could-derail-middle-east-peace-talks/), Trump’s decision to follow-through on his campaign pledge was praised in other quarters. The Zionist Organization of America released a lengthy statement hailing the move as “historic, moral and just.” The Republican Jewish Coalition took out [a full-page ad](http://action.rjchq.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/RJC%5FJerusalem%5Ffinal.pdf) in the New York _Times_ expressing similar sentiments, offering continued support for his presidency. “President Trump has acted with moral clarity,” the ad reads. “The bond between the U.S. and Israel is strong and after eight years of the Obama administration, the days of daylight between our nations are over.” Polls show that most Americans oppose moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem — 63% in [one recent national poll](https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2017/12/05/why-is-trump-about-to-declare-jerusalem-the-capital-of-israel/). But evangelical Christians, who overwhelming supported Trump in the 2016 election, back the move, although more narrowly, with 53% supporting it in the same poll. Shibley Telhami, a non-resident Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution and “Professor, and Director of the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll and a critic of the decision, noted that presidents from both parties have pledged to move the embassy for years but never followed through. He said it’s not clear that Trump would have been hurt among the evangelical community if he hadn’t gone ahead, especially since he’s worked on other priorities for them. “None of them would have abandoned him if he hadn’t taken this stance because he’s given them so much more,” he said. Trump’s decision was also popular with small group of major donors who backed his presidential campaign. Casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, a supporter of the embassy move who backs both the Zionist Organization and the Republican Jewish Coalition and, along with his wife Miriam, is also a major donor. He [donated](http://fortune.com/2016/11/02/donald-trump-is-getting-a-10-million-tv-ad-boost-from-this-super-pac/) at least $20 million to a super PAC designed to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016, and $5 million to Trump’s inauguration committee. So is Bernard Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, who donated $5 million in 2016 to a super PAC that backed Trump’s candidacy, and, like Adelson, sits on the Republican Jewish Coalition board of directors, and Elliott Broidy, a venture capitalist who was National Vice Chairman of the Trump Victory Campaign during the campaign and Vice Chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. A representative for Adelson did not respond to repeated requests for comment, and a representative for Marcus declined to comment. The sentiment however, according to a Republican operative with close ties to the Jewish community, is that any pressure put on Trump is nowhere near comparable to what congressional Republicans [were facing on tax reform.](http://fortune.com/2017/12/04/republican-tax-bill-donors/) “I think everyone was confident the President one day would do it and they’re very happy and impressed it happened now,” Broidy told TIME on Wednesday. He said that he had been in touch with Trump, but not on this specific issue, but that he had spoken with people who were unhappy that the President did not make this announcement six months ago. “It’s one issue of many that matters to me .. I am happy he followed through on his campaign pledge.” Matt Brooks, Executive Director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said his entire organization — including members of his Board of Directors — have frequently been in touch with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as key members of his Middle East policy team, including Senior Adviser Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt, the Representative for International Negotiations, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. “We never miss a chance in talking to administration folks, also the Republican friends in the house and the Senate and the Governors \[about\] how important the recognition of Jerusalem is in moving our embassy,” Brooks said. “It comes up in many of the conversations we have.” Still, Telhami, who said he has spoken with White House advisers conducting the negotiations, said Trump didn’t simply act to please his donors. “When you consider the strategic consequences, Adelson alone cannot possibly explain the outcome,” he explained. “He still has three years to go in his first term, so even if Adelson wasn’t happy about a delay, Trump had plenty of time and opportunity to placate him.” A Republican operative had similar sentiments. “Clearly there are a lot of people the president admires but is this a bone he’s throwing to certain donors? Not at all? Were there people who have access to the president who were able to make a case for these issues and reinforce them? Absolutely. But the fact that he’s doing this for his donors couldn’t be farther from the truth.” The timing of Trump’s announcement was fortuitous, coming on the eve of Thursday’s White House Hanukkah Party, where hundreds of Jewish leaders are expected to be in attendance — and will likely praise Trump for his decision. “It’s going to be overwhelming, it’s going to be appropriately so,” said Brooks of the event. “The speech today by this president was probably one of the most historic and consequential speeches on Israel by any U.S. president ever.” “Anything they felt frustrated about — it will be instantly forgotten,” said the Republican operative with close ties to the Jewish community. “He will be genuinely loved in that room for doing this.” ## Transcript [00:00] After more than two decades of waivers, we are no closer [00:04] to a lasting peace agreement between Israel and the [00:08] Palestinians. It would be folly to assume that repeating [00:12] the exact same formula would now produce a different [00:17] or better result. Therefore, I have determined That [00:22] it is time to officially recognize Jerusalem [00:27] as the capital of Israel. This [00:32] is nothing more, or less, than a recognition [00:36] of reality. It is also the right thing to do. [00:41] It's something that has to be done. That is why, [00:46] consistent with the Jerusalem Embassy Act, I [00:50] am also directing the State Department to begin [00:53] preparation to move the American Embassy from [00:58] Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This will immediately [01:02] begin the process of hiring architects, engineers and [01:06] planners. So that a new embassy, when completed, will [01:10] be a magnificent tribute to peace. In [01:14] making these announcements, I also wanna make one [01:18] point, very clear. This [01:22] decision is not intended in any way to reflect a departure [01:26] from our strong committment to facilitate a lasting peace [01:30] agreement. We want an agreement that is a great [01:34] deal for the Israelis and a great deal for the [01:38] Palestinians. We are not taking a position of [01:43] any final status issues, including the specific [01:47] boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem or [01:52] the resolution of contested borders. Those [01:56] questions are up to the parties involved, the [02:01] United States remains deeply committed. To helping [02:05] facilitate a peace agreement that is acceptable to [02:10] both sides, I intent to [02:14] do everything in my power to help forge such an [02:18] agreement. [ NOISE ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Thank you. [02:19] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Thank you very [02:20] much, thank you. 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