By JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump stated on Monday that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and dislike “their religion,” causing a strong negative response from the White House and Jewish leaders.
In an interview, Trump was asked about the increasing criticism by Democrats of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the Gaza war and the rising civilian death toll.
“I actually think they hate Israel,” Trump replied to his former aide, Sebastian Gorka. “I think they hate Israel. And the Democrat party hates Israel.”
Trump, who recently became the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, continued by saying: “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.”
The comments generated immediate criticism from the White House, President Joe Biden’s campaign and Jewish leaders. Although the majority of Jewish Americans align with the Democrats, Trump has frequently accused them of disloyalty, perpetuating what critics argue is an antisemitic stereotype.
At the White House, spokesperson Andrew Bates condemned the comments as “vile and unhinged Antisemitic rhetoric” without specifically mentioning Trump.
“As Antisemitic crimes and acts of hate have increased across the world — among them the deadliest attack committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust — leaders have an obligation to call hate what it is and bring Americans together against it,” he said. “There is no justification for spreading toxic, false stereotypes that threaten fellow citizens. None.”
Biden’s campaign said, “The only person who should be ashamed here is Donald Trump.”
“Trump is going to lose again this November because Americans are sick of his hateful resentment, personal attacks, and extreme agenda,” said spokesman James Singer.
Jonathan Greenblatt, who heads the Anti-Defamation League, stated, “Accusing Jews of hating their religion because they might vote for a particular party is defamatory & patently false.”
“Serious leaders who care about the historic US-Israel alliance should focus on strengthening, rather than unraveling, bipartisan support for the State of Israel,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Trump’s comments come as Biden has been facing mounting pressure from the progressive wing of his party over his administration’s support for Israel in its retaliatory offensive in Gaza. More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
While Biden continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself, he has increasingly criticized Netanyahu. After his State of the Union speech, he said he needed to have a “come to Jesus” conversation with the Israeli leader. He has also accused Netanyahu of “hurting Israel more than helping Israel,” saying, “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.”
Trump was upset with recent comments from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is the country’s highest-ranking Jewish official. Schumer sharply criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza in a speech last week, and also called for Israel to hold new elections, warning that the civilian toll was damaging Israel’s standing worldwide.
Even though the White House officially distanced itself from Schumer’s comments, the Democratic leader and key ally was expressing an opinion that is increasingly common within Biden’s administration.
Schumer, who Trump accused of being “very anti-Israel now,” responded by accusing Trump of “making highly partisan and hateful rants.”
“To make Israel a partisan issue only hurts Israel and the US-Israeli relationship,” he wrote on X.
The Pew Research Center reported in 2021 that Jews are “among the most consistently liberal and Democratic groups in the U.S.,” with 7 in 10 Jewish adults identifying with or leaning toward the Democratic Party. In 2020, it found that nearly three-quarters of American Jews disapproved of Trump’s performance as president, with just 27% rating him positively.
Surveys from The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research show that Americans have increasingly disapproved of Israel’s military operation in Gaza. In January, 50% of U.S. adults said the military response from Israel in the Gaza Strip had gone too far, up from 40% in November.
The number was higher among Democrats, with 6 in 10 of them saying the same thing in both surveys.
