By Jill Colvin -
The Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump on Monday accused Jews who vote for Democrats of “hating Israel” and “their religion,” unleashing a storm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
In an interview, Trump responded to a question about Democrats' growing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the war in Gaza as the number of civilian casualties continues to rise.
“I actually think they hate Israel
,” Trump responded to Sebastian Gorka, who was one of his advisors.
“I think they hate Israel.
“The Democratic Party hates Israel.”
Former President Donald Trump during a campaign event, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. Associated Press
Trump, who last week became the virtual candidate of the Republican Party, went on to charge: “Any Jew who votes for the Democrats hates their religion.
“They hate everything related to Israel and should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.”
The comments sparked immediate reaction from the White House, President Joe Biden's campaign and Jewish leaders.
The vast majority of American Jews identify as Democrats, but Trump has often accused them of disloyalty, perpetuating what his critics consider an anti-Semitic position.
White House spokesman Andrew Bates called the comments “vile and unhinged anti-Semitic rhetoric,” without mentioning Trump by name.
[Trump stated that if he does not win in November there will be a “bloodbath.” He was talking about a trade war with China, he explains]
“As anti-Semitic crimes and acts of hate have increased around the world – including the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust –
leaders have an obligation to call hate what it is
and unite the Americans against him,” he declared.
“There is no justification for spreading toxic and false stereotypes that threaten our citizens.
None".
The Biden campaign said: “The only person who should be ashamed here is Donald Trump.”
“Trump is going to lose again this November because Americans are fed up with his hateful resentment, his personal attacks and his extreme agenda,” said spokesman James Singer.
Jonathan Greenblatt, who heads the Anti-Defamation League, said: “Accusing Jews of hating their religion because they might vote for a particular party is defamatory and patently false.”
“Serious leaders who care about the historic alliance between the United States and Israel should focus on strengthening, rather than undoing, bipartisan support for the State of Israel,” he wrote on the social network X.
[Trump is in legal and financial trouble as he cannot post a million-dollar bail]
Trump's comments come as
Biden faces growing pressure from the progressive wing of his party over his administration's support for Israel
in its Gaza offensive.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's Health Ministry.
Although Biden continues to support Israel's right to defend itself, he has increasingly criticized Netanyahu.
Following his State of the Union address, he stated that he needed to have a conversation with the Israeli leader.
He has also accused Netanyahu of “doing more harm to Israel than helping it,” and has said he “must pay more attention to the innocent lives lost as a result of the actions taken.”
Trump took particular issue with recent comments from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the nation's highest-ranking Jewish congressman.
In a speech last week, Schumer sharply criticized Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza, warning that the number of civilian casualties was damaging Israel's reputation around the world.
He also called for Israel to hold new elections.
Although the White House formally distanced itself from Schumer's comments, the Democratic leader and key ally expressed an increasingly widespread view in the Biden Administration.
Schumer – whom Trump accused of being “very anti-Israel now” – responded with accusations that Trump “makes highly partisan and hateful remarks.”
“Making Israel a partisan issue only harms Israel and the relationship between the United States and Israel,” he wrote on the social network X.
The Pew Research Center reported in 2021 that Jews are “among the most consistently liberal and Democratic groups in the United States,” with seven 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 only 27% viewing it positively.
Americans are also increasingly dissatisfied with Israel's military operation in Gaza, according to polls by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
In January,
50% of American adults thought Israel's military response in the Gaza Strip had gone too far
, up from 40% in November.
That figure was higher among Democrats, with six in 10 saying the same in both surveys.