Yehuda Kaploun is the Orthodox face of the former president's race

Photos: AP images

If Donald Trump makes a historic return to the White House, there’ll be a prominent new face in his Jewish team. Miami-based entrepreneur Yehuda Kaploun, a long-time friend of the former president, has stepped back from the business of generating water from air, to generating Jewish votes for the Republican candidate, because he thinks that in darkening times for American Jews, Trump is the solution

Donald Trump’s 2016 administration was responsible for many firsts, but no presidential historian has yet noted the smashing of one particular glass ceiling: the record number of Orthodox staffers. From the Jared Kushner circle to David Friedman’s embassy and the iconic Rose Garden Minchah after the signing of the Abraham Accords, the Trump White House was so Orthodox-friendly it could have been a kiddush club.

But as President Trump campaigns to return to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, his Jewish outreach team has a new face — a Chabad entrepreneur named Yehuda Kaploun. Increasingly visible on campaign stops, this long-time associate of the president will likely be a significant Jewish voice in a second Trump administration.

The Miami-based Kaploun is the liaison between the former president’s campaign and the Orthodox world — but not only. So, while at a recent DC event with Trump on anti-Semitism he brought together representatives from across the frum spectrum, his overarching goal is to make the case for Trump to the wider Jewish world.

A grandson of two prominent Chabad families who spread Yiddishkeit from Australia to America, Yehuda Kaploun has outreach and activism baked into his DNA. He was introduced to Trump years ago through his business activities, and a longtime friendship with Republican mega-donors Sheldon a”h, and Miriam Adelson converged to bring him on board the campaign to re-elect Trump.

The motivation behind his public activity is Yehuda Kaploun’s sense that American Jews are at a crossroads, and putting Trump back in the White House is critical. “Just a year ago, no one would have believed that Jews would be afraid to be openly Jewish in the United States,” he says. “The fact that Jews are afraid in progressive universities shows that the United States is going down a dark path.”

And as he works to re-elect Donald Trump, he feels a sense of coming full circle. “My grandfather gave one speech at the White House,” he says. “So my family’s voice has already been heard there. I’m just following in the footsteps of my parents and teachers.”