Former President Donald Trump has ignited a firestorm of criticism on Monday with remarks suggesting that Jewish voters who support Democrats hate Israel and their religion.
In an interview with Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump administration official, on Gorka’s web show, Trump stated, “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.”
These comments echoed a longstanding and harmful stereotype suggesting that American Jews have split loyalties between the United States and Israel.
Trump made these remarks during a discussion about the Israel-Hamas conflict, prompted by Democratic criticisms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.
The former president asserted that Democrats “hate Israel,” continuing a pattern of disparaging comments regarding Jewish voters’ political affiliations.
This is not the first time Trump has drawn condemnation for such remarks.
In 2019, while serving as president, he remarked that “any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat” display “great disloyalty” or are uninformed. At the time, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, criticized the use of Jews as a political football.
Reacting to Trump’s recent comments, Greenblatt reiterated that accusing Jews of hating their religion due to political affiliation is defamatory and false.
However, Trump’s campaign press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended his remarks, accusing the Democratic Party of being anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.
Trump’s history of emphasizing his pro-Israel stance includes relocating the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move met with international controversy and deadly protests. He has also highlighted actions taken during his presidency to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal negotiated under the Obama administration.
The Biden campaign swiftly condemned Trump’s comments, with spokesperson James Singer denouncing them as demeaning to Jewish Americans.
Singer asserted that Trump’s rhetoric reflects a pattern of hateful resentment and personal attacks, predicting electoral defeat for the former president in November.
Trump’s invocation of the dual loyalty trope in relation to Jewish voters has drawn comparisons to previous instances, including a social media post last year accusing “liberal Jews” of voting to “destroy” America and Israel.
Despite these controversies, around 70% of American Jews lean towards the Democratic Party, according to a 2020 Pew survey, while a similar proportion disapproved of Trump’s presidency.
Chioma Kalu
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