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In the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel, Republican presidential candidates initially criticized President Joe Biden for the perceived weakness and mistakes in American policy that they believed contributed to the violence. However, this changed when former President Donald Trump addressed the topic in a speech in Florida. Trump's remarks included calling Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant a "jerk" and repeatedly praising Hezbollah, a militant group in Lebanon. He also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for being unprepared for a potential Hamas attack. These comments drew immediate backlash from some of Trump's rivals, including Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence, who condemned his statements. DeSantis called Trump's remarks "disturbing and disqualifying," and Pence emphasized that Hezbollah is evil, not smart. Trump's former campaign team attempted to clarify his comments, but they were deemed "rhetorical gymnastics" by the DeSantis campaign. Israeli communications minister Shlomo Karhi called Trump's remarks "shameful." Despite his previous vocal support for Israel, Trump has held a grudge against Netanyahu since the 2020 US presidential election. On the other side, Democrats are divided on the issue, with opinions ranging from sympathy for the Palestinians to support for Israel in response to the Hamas attacks. Some progressive Democrats, like Rashida Tlaib, clashed with others over their criticisms of Hamas. Mr. DeSantis also faced criticism on the campaign trail for not expressing sympathy for Palestinian civilians affected by Israeli bombing campaigns. Meanwhile, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy accused Republicans expressing support for Israel of engaging in "selective moral outrage" based on campaign contributions. This led to a social media exchange with Republican congressman Dan Crenshaw. The conflict in Israel has introduced a new dynamic into the Republican presidential race and could pose challenges for Democrats.