On March 7, 2019, I entered the Oval Office for the first time in my life.

Vice President Mike Pence, a friend since 2012, and I had just had lunch in the White House Mess. We had discussed the administration’s Middle East peace plan, which was then still in development, and my recent private meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah II. 

“Have you ever met the President?” Pence had asked as we finished our meals.

I had not. 

“Follow me,” he said.

The next thing I knew, I was shaking hands with President Donald J. Trump, who smiled broadly as Pence introduced me as a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, an author of novels and non-fiction books about the threat of radical Islamism, and an Evangelical.

“Great to meet you, Joel, welcome to the White House.”

Trump asked me to sit down, then took his seat behind the Resolute desk. To my right was the Vice President. To my left was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, also a friend, and then-National Security Advisor John Bolton, whom I’d also known for years.  

To my surprise, rather than tell me what he was thinking about, the President kept asking me one question after another. Where are you from? Why did you move to Jerusalem? How can you be an Evangelical with a Jewish name like Rosenberg? What’s your latest novel about? I had brought him a copy of The Persian Gamble, and I explained it was about an Iranian regime taking the $150 billion that President Obama had given them for the nuclear deal and secretly going to North Korea to buy a half-dozen fully operational nuclear warheads off the shelf and get them back to Iran.

“Wow – that’s pretty scary,” Trump said, turning to look out the window.

After a moment, he turned back to me and said, “How do you know they’re not trying to do that in real life?”

“Well, Mr. President,” I said, looking at Pence, Pompeo and Bolton and then back at Trump, “I’m counting on you and the men in this room to make sure The Persian Gamble never comes true.”

We shared a laugh, and then Trump asked me another question.

“So, tell me something else about yourself.”

I paused for a moment, then decided I ought to say it.

“Well, sir, I should probably tell you that I…well….I was a Never Trumper until four days before the election.” 

The room went silent. 

I cannot tell you how often the term “Never Trumper” is used in the presence of the President himself. By the look in his eye, I would say not that often. He did not, however, throw me out of the room. Rather, he picked up on the last phrase.

“What happened on the Thursday before the election?”

“My wife came to me with an absentee ballot and Fed-Ex envelope,” I said. “Hers was already filled out, but she insisted that I fill out mine right then because she had to send it that day from Israel in order for it to get back to the State in time. And she said to me, ‘You’ve got to make a decision.’ But I told her I was still agonizing. ‘You’re not going to vote for Hillary, are you?’ she asked. ‘Of course not,’ I said. ‘Then you have to vote for Trump.’ I told her wasn’t sure if I could. I’d spoken out strongly against you during the primaries. But my wife wouldn’t let the issue go. ‘Look,’ she said, ‘do you believe that Hillary is going to keep her liberal campaign promises?’ Of course, I replied, that’s why I can’t vote for her. ‘Exactly, but the problem is that you don’t trust Mr. Trump to keep his conservative promises, right?’”

I looked directly at the President. He said nothing. So, I continued.

“Right, I said. ‘So, here’s what you need to do,’ my wife told me. ‘The only way to stop Hillary from being elected is to vote for Mr. Trump and hope that he wins and hope that he keeps at least some of his promises. That’s it. That’s your only option.’”

You could hear a pin drop.

“So, Mr. President, I voted for you that day,” I continued. “And I just want to take the opportunity to thank you in person for keeping so many of your promises.”

I listed a dozen specific examples, including that the President had:

1. Moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem
2. Dramatically strengthened the U.S.-Israel alliance in myriad other ways
3. Was dramatically strengthening America’s alliance with the Arab world
4. Withdrew the U.S. from the insane Iran nuclear deal
5. Crushed the ISIS caliphate, ending genocide against Christians and Yazidis 
6. Massively increased defense spending to rebuild the American military
7. Pushed NATO to spend more of its own money on its own defense
8. Gotten tough against the regime of Russian President Vladimir Putin, contrary to the allegations that were being made that he was “colluding” with Putin and weakening U.S. national security
9. Signed the biggest tax cut and tax reform bill in U.S. history, creating millions of new jobs and powerful and sustained economic growth
10. Made America energy independent 
11. Appointed hundreds of conservative, pro-life, originalist federal judges
12. Appointed two originalist, Scalia-esque Justices to the Supreme Court

“Sir, if you accomplish nothing else for the rest of your term, you will go down in history as the most pro-life and pro-Israel president in the history of the country. And I just want to say, on behalf of my wife and me, thank you.” 

The President seemed moved. Then I noted the Bible commands believers to “pray for kings and all those in authority.”

“I want you to know, sir, that I have prayed for you and your family every day since you took the Oath of Office.”

“Thank you, Joel,” Trump replied. “That means a lot to me.”

Since then, the reasons I support the President and Vice President have grown significantly. Together, Trump and Pence have:

13. Presented a creative and compassionate plan to create peace between Israel and the Palestinians 
14. Brokered an historic peace treaty between Israel and the United Arab Emirates
15. Brokered an historic peace treaty between Israel and Bahrain
16. Brokered an historic peace treaty between Israel and Sudan
17. Gotten tough on China
18. Built a security wall to protect America’s southern border with Mexico
19. Mobilized the biggest government and private sector mobilization since World War II to protect the American people from COVID-19, the worst pandemic in 100 years, and re-opened the U.S. economy to allow for the creation already of  10.5 million new jobs
20. Appointed Amy Coney Barrett, a third originalist, Scalia-esque Justice to the Supreme Court

Are there some policies Trump pursues that I disagree? Yes. Am I happy with his first debate performance? No. Do some of his Tweets and public comments baffle, frustrate and deeply disappointment. Absolutely.

Still, I am deeply grateful that Trump and his team stand strongly against socialism, against abortion-on-demand, against riots and lawlessness, against shutting down oil and natural gas exploration, against radical left-wing plans to expand the number of Justices on the Supreme Court, against re-starting a policy of appeasement towards Iran, against going soft on the corrupt communists of China, against shutting down the American economy and ignoring the rights of the American people to live their lives in freedom, even in days of risk.

I used to be a Never Trumper. Not anymore.

Last month, I flew from Israel to the United States to stand in line for three hours to vote in-person for the re-election for President Trump and Vice President Pence.

I hope wherever you live, if you’re an American citizen, you will vote for them, too.

JERUSALEM — During my three-week speaking tour through the U.S., and certainly in the two weeks since I’ve been back here in Israel, the number one question I’m being asked by those who want the Trump-Pence ticket to be re-elected is: Do they have any shot at all?

My short answer is: Yes.

But:

1) Biden and Harris definitely have the upper hand

2) It’s going to be a battle for every single vote

3) It’s also going to take an enormous amount of prayer and hard work — and a miracle.

It happened in 2016. Could it happen again?

“Nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

But let’s be honest — Trump is his own worst enemy.

Trump’s debate performance, many of his Tweets, and many of his off-the-cuff and unscripted remarks have been offensive and off-putting to a great many undecided voters — especially those in the key states that the Trump team absolutely must win.

By contrast, Pence’s debate performance, watched by more than 50 million Americans, was pitch perfect — substantive, calm, respectful, and sharply able to define the critical differences between the two tickets.

Side-note: If Israelis were decided the race, it would be Trump/Pence in a landslide. A poll published last week found that 63% of Israelis support Trump. Only 19% of Israelis support Biden.

Upwards of 200,000 dual US-Israeli citizens are being aggressively courted here by the Trump and Biden camps — because every vote really does count.

That said, the election will actually be decided in “battleground states” like Ohio, Florida, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, to name a few.

Here are 10 factors you should take into account when assessing the Trump-Pence ticket’s chances of success:

1. More Americans (49%) agree with Trump “on the issues” than agree with Biden (46%), according to a September Gallup poll.

2. 76% of Americans say they would not vote for a candidate that supports socialist policies, a Hill/Harris poll found in July.

3. A majority (54%) rate Trump positively for his job performance on the economy, according to a new October Gallup poll. This is important because according to Gallup, “nearly nine in 10 registered voters consider the presidential candidates’ positions on the economy ‘extremely’ (44%) or ‘very’ (45%) important to their vote.”

4. Trump’s strong rating in this area is, in part, because he’s a businessman, not a professional politician, whose tax cut and other pro-growth policies led to a roaring American economy and the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years before the pandemic. The U.S. has also gained a record 11.5 million new jobs since Trump began reopening the economy in the summer. Americans areincreasingly nervous that Biden keeps vowing to raise taxes — “The first thing I’d do is repeal the Trump tax cut,” he says over and over. Biden vows to “double the capital gains tax” on investments in new factories and new jobs to 40%. Experts says Biden’s approach would mean a $4 trillion tax increase and include a $2,000 tax hike on a median income family of four.

5. A majority (55%) consider themselves and their family to be better off than they were four years ago (Gallup). This is an astonishing number, given that it comes in the midst of the pandemic.

6. 78% of Evangelicals currently support Trump and Pence because they deeply appreciate their bold pro-life, pro-religious, pro-law-and-order, pro-Second Amendment, pro-Israel policies and all the promises that Trump and Pence have kept, according to an October 13th Pew poll. The problem is that this is down from 83% in August. Why? Because many Evangelicals were deeply disappointed by Trump’s debate performance. If Trump and Pence can get back to 83%, they have a real chance at winning, but it’s not going to be easy because 22 million Americans have already voted, including many Evangelicals.

7. After the Trump-Biden debate, the Rasmussen poll (arguably the most accurate presidential poll in 2016) had Biden winning by 12 points — but the newest Rasmussen survey finds that Trump is rapidly gaining ground and is only behind nationally by 5 points. Still, keep in mind that the Real Clear Politics average of national polls has Biden winning by a whopping 8.9%.

8. While most national polls show Biden in the lead decisively, the Real Clear Politics average of polling in the top battleground states has Biden only winning by 4.3% — significant, but not insurmountable. Consider just a few examples:

* In Florida, the RCP average of polls has Trump behind by 1.4 points. The latest poll has the race there tied. One poll has Trump up 2 points.

* In Ohio, the RCP average suddenly puts Trump ahead by 0.5 points — this is a significant reversal since Biden has been ahead of Trump there for most of the race.

* In Pennsylvania, the RCP average had Trump down 4.4 points on Oct. 18 — but on Oct. 11, just one-week earlier, Biden had been ahead by 7.1 points.

* In Iowa, the latest poll has Trump and Biden tied, but two weeks ago Biden was ahead by 5 points.

9. “Trump is winning the voter registration battle against Biden in key states,” read an NBC News headline on Oct. 1. “Of the six states Trump won by less than 5 points in 2016, four — Arizona, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania — permit voters to register by party,” the article noted. “In all four states, voter registration trends are more robust for the GOP than four years ago.”

Examples:

* FLORIDA — “In Florida, Republicans added a net 195,652 registered voters between this March’s presidential primary and the end of August, while Democrats added 98,362….”

* PENNSYLVANIA — “In Pennsylvania, Republicans added a net 135,619 voters between this June’s primary and the final week of September, while Democrats added 57,985…”

* NORTH CAROLINA — “In North Carolina, Republicans added a net 83,785 voters between this March’s presidential primary and the final week of September, while Democrats added 38,137…”

10. A massive movement of Evangelical prayer throughout the U.S. is pleading with God not only for revival and a Great Awakening but for mercy to maintain the pro-life, pro-freedom, pro-growth, pro-Israel policies that Trump and Pence are pursuing. Tens of millions of Evangelicals are also praying that the Lord will not to let Biden and Harris win and appoint pro-abortion federal judges and Supreme Court Justices, massively fund Planned Parenthood pro-abortion services, start taxpayer funding of abortion, restrict religious freedom, massively raise taxes, and completely undo and reverse all the pro-life, pro-growth and other progress that has been made in the past four years. In September, for example, Franklin Graham organized a prayer march in Washington that drew an estimated 50,000 Christians and was broadcast and webcast to millions. That same month, I spoke at three nationally webcast and broadcast events in the U.S. to call Evangelicals to pray 2 Chronicles 7:14 for America — one event was in Iowa, another was in South Dakota and a third was in Colorado. Other pastors and ministry leaders have likewise been rallying Christians to pray without ceasing for a nation facing implosion. Amen. This is a spiritual battle, above all, and prayer is vital.

One more thing — the “X” factor, if you will: Keep a close eye on the brewing allegations of a Joe Biden/Hunter Biden scandal related to Ukraine, China and Russia.

The fact that Twitter is trying to block the story — and other major media are refusing to give it any attention when it at least bears close scrutiny — is a sign that this could be more serious than most people realize.

BOTTOM LINE: Look, I can make no predictions about what will happen on November 3. To be honest, I, too, was disappointed by President Trump’s debate performance and by the prospect that his behavior — not his policies — will cost us the election. And not just the presidency at risk, but control of the Senate, as well.

Still, despite having once been a Never Trumper, I am grateful for all the many promises the President has kept. I continue to pray daily for him and his family, for salvation, for changed character, for protection and wisdom. I traveled all the way to the U.S. to vote for Trump and Pence in person.

To be clear: I would rather vote for a deeply imperfect candidate who is working hard to save unborn babies, among other important goals, than for a deeply imperfect candidate who supports abortion on demand and taxpayer funding for this terrible evil.

So, even as I pray that the Lord will graciously change Mr. Trump’s character and soften his very rough edges, I am also praying that he and Pence will win and that they and all the Evangelicals around them will have four more years to keep trying to turn the ship of state back in the right direction.

I’m not going to slam and berate and mock those who take a different view. It’s a free country (so far). But that’s where I come down.

How about you — have you voted yet?

Are you mobilizing your family, friends and neighbors to get out to vote — immediately — not waiting for Election Day?

Are you praying without ceasing? I sure hope so.

Don’t. Give. Up.

(I wrote this column in my capacity as a private American citizen. These personal views have nothing to do with any of the non-profit, non-partisan organizations that I have founded or with which I am affiliated.)

JERUSALEM – After three weeks traveling through the U.S. — speaking, doing media interviews, participating in a wide range of meetings, and having the opportunity to attend the signing of the Abraham Accords at the White House — I am finally back home in Jerusalem.

And yes, I’m in quarantine again — third time this year — due to Israeli law, not because I have any COVID symptoms.

That said, I wanted to share with you two articles I have written for ALL ISRAEL NEWS, because they are relevant to tonight’s must-see and high-stakes debate. (yes, I plan to get up at 4am here in Israel to watch the debate live.)

Also, below, I’ve written an update on the COVID situation here in Israel.

1. Attention shifts to VP Pence as Trump contracts life-threatening virus, enters quarantine — I was with the VP on Thursday in Des Moines. Here’s my extended report on how he is doing and what he said before the news of Trump’s health broke.

2. Must-See TV: Never in history has a vice presidential debate been so consequential — With Trump battling COVID and Biden turning 78, the showdown between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris will draw heightened attention. Is one of them a soon-to-be American president?

Here are a few excerpts of the second article:

On Wednesday night, the eyes of Israelis, Arabs and people all over the world will be on Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris as they square off for the most important, consequential and high-stakes vice presidential debate in American history.

• The debate will begin on Oct. 7 at 9 p.m. eastern time.
• It will be held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
• It will be moderated by Susan Page of USA Today.
• Watch online by clicking here.

In a typical year, scant attention is paid to vice presidential debates.

But 2020 is no typical year.

Threats Facing President Trump
The leader of the free world, and Israel’s most important ally – President Donald J. Trump – has contracted COVID-19.

Given that the virus has taken the lives of more than 1 million people worldwide, including more than 200,000 Americans and a rising number of Israelis (see below), many wonder if – and some fear that – Trump could succumb to the virus, suddenly elevating Pence to the presidency…..

Threats Facing Joe Biden
So far, Joe Biden – the Democrat presidential nominee and former vice president – has remained COVID-free.

Biden has been extra careful – he routinely wears a mask, and has severely limited his exposure to crowds, doing minimal public campaigning or even media interviews since the pandemic erupted in March, despite widespread criticism.

The reason is clear enough: When it comes to the threat of the coronavirus, Biden is, like Trump, also in a highly vulnerable category.

He will turn 78 years old on Nov. 20. If elected, he would be the oldest first-term president in American history ever to take the oath of office….Not surprisingly, Americans are becoming increasingly interested in Biden’s vice presidential nominee, Kamala Harris….

I do hope you’ll read both stories in full, including the prayer requests listed at the bottom of the second article.

Update: COVID Catastrophe In Israel
The COVID-19 crisis in Israel remains out of control.

Here’s what to watch this week:

• Nine million Israelis remain in full national lockdown, as they have throughout the last few weeks of the High Holidays.
• Yet still, the death toll is soaring.
• Last week, I noted that more Israelis have died from the coronavirus (1,507 people) than from all the wars and terror attacks for the last 20 years (1,411 people).
• Since then, another 250 Israelis have died from COVID, bringing the death toll to 1,757 people.
• Meanwhile, another 273,826 Israelis have tested positive for COVID, of which 875 are considered serious cases.

As you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, please pray for the health of all Israelis. Please pray for a quick and full recovery for all Israelis who are battling the virus.

And please pray, too, for the comfort of those who have lost loved ones due to the virus during this crazy, cruel year.

(photo credits: All Israel News, Reuters and Flash 90)

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