Liberal Forum

AIPAC apologizes for cheering of Trump’s Obama knock.

In an emotional apology, the AIPAC leadership expressed regret to President Barack Obama for an attack on him from its stage by Donald Trump, and for the loud applause it earned.

“While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the President of the United States and our President Barack Obama,” Lillian Pinkus, the newly installed president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, said Tuesday, joined by other AIPAC lay and professional leaders.

AIPAC’s evident anguish in the aftermath of Trump’s remarks — delivered to its annual conference Monday night in Washington, D.C. — seem to reflect a divide among the 18,000 members in attendance.

While many in the arena leapt to their feet in appreciation of the hard-line positions on Iran, terrorism and the current administration by the Republican presidential front-runner, others sat on their hands or even absented themselves from the event.

“There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night and for that we are deeply sorry,” Pinkus said, her voice choking. “We are deeply disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.”

Launching a critique of Obama’s U.N. policy, Trump, a real estate magnate, started a sentence Monday evening, “With President Obama in his final year –“ Then he stopped himself and said “Yay!”

Cheers, laughter and applause arose from the crowd packed into the Verizon Center, a sports arena used by the lobby for the first time to accommodate record-breaking numbers.

“He may be the worst thing to ever happen to Israel, believe me, believe me,” Trump said. “And you know it and you know it better than anybody.”
Pinkus said AIPAC does not “countenance ad hominem attacks.”

“We take great offense at those that are levied against the president of the United States of America from our stage,” she said.