Pratt talks Trump

BILLIONAIRE businessman Anthony Pratt announced a $100,000 donation to the Jewish National Fund (JNF) at its Gold Patrons Lunch late last month, before musing on his recent visit to the US – “First stop, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC.”

On a Friday evening, he and his wife Claudine joined President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a rare state dinner at the White House, said Pratt as he addressed the 170 lunch attendees.

“I’ve been to a few great Shabbos dinners in my time, but this took the cake!” he reflected as he recounted the sights and sounds of the US Military String band which played What a Wonderful World from the roof of the West Wing of the White House.

Pratt also described the experience of Morrison and Trump opening the new Pratt Industries paper mill in Wapakoneta, Ohio. But the relationship with Trump is not a recent development, with Pratt sharing that it goes back years. He explained the great confidence he held in the President – so much so, he bet $100,000 on him one month before the election.

“My early support resonated with Trump, who takes things very personally, and he remembers it. He read about it – I made sure of it,” said Pratt, who later also made sure to become a member of the President’s “Winter White House”, Mar-a-Lago Resort in Florida.

“The key thing about being a member … is that I see President Trump two or three times a year, and each time I would tell him about our manufacturing business.”

Pratt also commended Trump on his support of Israel, calling him “the most pro-Israel president”.

“[He] recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he moved the American embassy there, he recognised Israel’s sovereignty in the Golan Heights, and he rejected the nuclear deal with Iran,” he said.

“If Obama had done any of those things, let alone all four of them, most American Jews would have hailed him as the Moshiach.”

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