President Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats hate “their religion” and “everything about Israel”

CNN
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Former President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Monday that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate their religion” and hate “everything about Israel,” saying Jewish Americans are against the United States and Israel. The anti-Semitic trope of dual loyalty was once again played out.

President Trump was asked about Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s criticism of the Biden administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a podcast hosted by former White House aide Sebastian Gorka.

“I actually think they hate Israel,” Trump said. “I don’t think they hate him, they hate Israel. And the Democratic Party hates Israel.”

President Trump said, “All Jews who vote for Democrats hate their own religion.” “They hate everything about Israel. They should be ashamed, because Israel will be destroyed.”

President Trump directly criticized Schumer, who recently criticized the Netanyahu administration and called for re-election in a speech on the Senate floor regarding Israel’s war against Hamas and the resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States.

“Remember, when I look at those Palestinian marches, even I am amazed at how many people are participating in them. And people like Schumer understand that, and “For him, it’s a vote, I think it’s a vote more than anything, because he’s always been pro-Israel. He’s very anti-Israel now,” Trump said.

Schumer responded to Trump’s comments on Monday, writing in a post on X that “making Israel a partisan issue will only hurt Israel and the US-Israel relationship.” Mr. Trump has been on a highly partisan, hateful rant. ”

“I am working in a bipartisan way to build on peace in the Middle East and ensure that the U.S.-Israel relationship endures for generations to come,” the New York Democrat added.

President Joe Biden’s administration and his campaign both responded quickly to Trump’s comments on Monday.

“As anti-Semitic crimes and acts of hatred are on the rise around the world, including the worst attacks against Jews since the Holocaust, leaders have no right to hate. “We have an obligation to call out and unite Americans against hate,” said Andrew Bates. A White House spokesperson said in a statement. “There is no justification for spreading harmful and false stereotypes that threaten our fellow citizens. None.”

Biden campaign press secretary James Singer echoed this, saying in a statement: “The only person who should be ashamed here is Donald Trump.” Donald Trump has publicly disparaged Jewish Americans and reportedly thinks Adolf Hitler ‘did a good thing'” — referring to comments the former president reportedly made in private. ing.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said: ×post“Accusing Jews of hating their religion because they might vote for a particular political party is a slander and patently false. Focusing on the historic U.S.-Israel alliance Serious leaders should focus on strengthening, not dismantling, bipartisan support for the state of Israel.”

President Trump has long used anti-Semitic metaphors to slam Jewish Americans who don’t fully support him. During his first presidential campaign, Trump addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition, where anti-Semitic stereotypes are rampant, and shortly after leaving office in 2021, he told reporters that Jewish Americans are He said he was turning his back on him.

A year later, he said that American Jews did not fully praise the administration’s policy toward Israel, stating that “evangelicals admire this policy much more highly than Jewish people, especially those living in the United States.” “I’m working on it,” he said. On Jewish New Year, President Trump shared a social media post saying that liberal Jews who don’t support him “voted to destroy America and Israel.”

At least 63% of American Jews say their position in American society is less secure than it was a year ago, according to a report released last month by the American Jewish Committee. CNN previously reported that the Anti-Defamation League tracked a total of 3,283 anti-Semitic incidents in the three months after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel, an increase of 361% from the same period last year. did.

Jewish Americans have been primarily Democratic, politically liberal voters for decades, supporting Democrats over Republicans by a wide margin, according to a 2020 study by the Pew Research Center. Orthodox Jews lean heavily toward the Republican Party, while American Jews of other denominations, including Reform and Conservatives, identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.

This story has been updated with additional details.

CNN’s Jack Forrest, Nicole Chavez and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.