Jewish billionaire Sylvan Adams praises second Trump term, says president is 'true friend of Israel’

Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams calls himself a self-appointed ambassador for Israel. 

Since making aliyah in 2015, Adams has worked hard to improve Israel’s image in the world, mostly through business and personal relations.

An avid cyclist, Adams started the Start-Up Nation cycling team after immigrating to Israel. The team was the first Israeli squad to compete in the Tour de France, and has represented the country in other international cycling competitions. 

Adams attended President Trump's inauguration on Monday, one of the few foreigners to be invited. Adams also participated in the 2020 Abraham accords, and was one of only a handful of Israelis invited to the signing ceremony at the White House. 

Speaking to Israeli media before the inauguration, Adams said he is hopeful and excited for Trump’s second term. 

“In his previous term, we had the Abraham Accords. All of the experts told Trump that he was wrong, it couldn't happen and he defied everyone's expectations. He is out of the box thinker. He is unconventional. He is brave and he has moral conviction. And we have a great friend in President Trump,” Adams continued.

He said Trump’s choices for his cabinet also demonstrate his views on Israel. 

“I believe that his views on Israel are demonstrated by his choice of cabinet picks. And if you listen to what the cabinet members have been saying, they all understand that Hamas needs to be eliminated, cannot rule Gaza, notwithstanding the hostage deal that we've made. Hamas cannot rule Gaza.” 

Adams pointed to Trump’s pick of Mike Huckabee for Ambassador to Israel, as another sign of his support for the Jewish state. 

“President Trump has appointed the most pro-Israel cabinet in history. His new ambassador, who is not Jewish by tradition, a lot of the ambassadors from the U.S. have been Jewish, but Mike Huckabee actually loves us more than we love ourselves and you couldn't ask for a better ambassador,” he remarked. 

Adams said even though a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia moved further away during the Biden administration, he believes Trump will make it happen. 

“I was told by Jared Kushner that had Trump been re-elected, they were days away from a peace deal with Saudi Arabia. The deal had all been negotiated and they were just simply waiting for Trump to be re-elected. So I think it's been made more complicated by Biden, unfortunately, because he pushed them away.” 

“The Saudis are asking for a lot more,” Adams claimed, “And Israel will also need to give some permissions to the Saudis…but ultimately I really believe we will see a peace agreement with the Saudis.” 

The billionaire philanthropist said he expects more countries to normalize relations with Israel after Saudi Arabia, saying, “I think we're going to see a real wave of peace blowing across our region with this wonder new administration.”