By Jill Colvin, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump stated on Monday that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and hate “their religion,” causing a strong negative reaction from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Trump, in an interview, was questioned about the increasing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by Democrats regarding his management of the conflict in Gaza and the rising civilian death toll.
“I actually think they hate Israel,” Trump answered to his former aide, Sebastian Gorka. “I think they hate Israel and the Democrat party hates Israel.”
Trump, who recently became the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, continued, claiming: “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 remarks immediately drew strong criticism from the White House, President Joe Biden’s campaign, and Jewish leaders. Although the majority of Jewish Americans align with the Democratic Party, Trump has frequently accused them of disloyalty, perpetuating what critics argue is an antisemitic stereotype.
At the White House, spokesperson Andrew Bates denounced the comments as “vile and unhinged Antisemitic rhetoric” without explicitly mentioning Trump by name.
“As Antisemitic crimes and acts of hate have increased across the world — including the deadliest attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust — leaders have a duty to denounce hate for what it is and unite Americans against it,” he stated. “There is no excuse for spreading toxic, false stereotypes that threaten fellow citizens. None.”
Biden’s campaign stated, “The only person who should be ashamed here is Donald Trump.”
“Trump is going to lose again this November because Americans are tired of his hateful resentment, personal attacks, and extreme agenda,” said spokesman James Singer.
Jonathan Greenblatt, who leads the Anti-Defamation League, commented, “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 increasing 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 “causing harm to Israel more than aiding Israel,” stating, “he needs to pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a result of the actions taken.”
Trump had a specific problem with recent remarks from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the country. In a speech last week, Schumer strongly criticized Netanyahu’s management of the conflict in Gaza, cautioning that the civilian casualties were harming Israel’s reputation worldwide. He also called for Israel to conduct new elections.
While the White House officially distanced itself from Schumer’s comments, the Democratic leader and key ally was expressing a viewpoint increasingly held across Biden’s administration.
Schumer — whom 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 harms Israel and the US-Israeli relationship,” he wrote on X.
The Pew Research Center stated 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.
Americans have also increasingly turned against Israel’s military operation in Gaza, according to surveys from The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. 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.
That number was higher among Democrats, 6 in 10 of whom said the same thing in both surveys.
