Donald Trump has come under fire for comments regarding Jewish Democrats following the former president said, “any Jewish person that votes for Democrats… [hates] everything regarding Israel”.
The comments reveal how Mr Trump intends to use the war between Israel and Hamas to attack President Joe Biden as the 2024 election nears.
Mr Trump made the comments on the America First radio show hosted by his former White House aide Sebastian Gorka. The former president criticized Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer, who recently suggested that Israel hold new elections as he criticized the leadership of Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Since the start of the war, the relationship between the Biden administration and Mr Netanyahu has deteriorated significantly – Mr Biden recently spoke to the prime minister for the first time in a month. After strongly supporting Israel, Mr Biden and other top Democrats have now taken to publicly criticizing the Israeli government for not taking enough care not to harm civilians – more than 30,000 Palestinians have died so far.
The Israeli counterattack was prompted by the Hamas attack on 7 October last year, when regarding 1,200 Israelis were killed.
“Why do the Democrats hate Bibi Netanyahu?” Mr Gorka asked Mr Trump on Monday.
“I actually think they hate Israel,” Mr Trump said. “And the Democrat Party hates Israel.”
Mr Biden has faced significant criticism from progressives for his steadfast support for Israel and for his administration continuing to send aid to the country.
“I really believe they hate Israel. And they also see a lot of votes. Don’t forget, when you see those Palestinian marches, I am amazed at how many people are in those marches,” Mr Trump said.
“And guys like Schumer see that, and to him it’s votes, I think it’s votes more than anything else – because he was always pro-Israel. He’s very anti-Israel now,” he added. “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything regarding Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.”
Mr Schumer retweeted a clip of Mr Trump making the comments, writing: “To make Israel a partisan issue only hurts Israel and the US-Israeli relationship. Trump is making highly partisan and hateful rants. I am working in a bipartisan way to ensure the US-Israeli relationship sustains for generations to come, buoyed by peace in the Middle East.”
Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who is Jewish, blasted the remarks.
“It’s one of the most antisemitic things I’ve heard a public official say,” Mr Schatz told The Independent.
A Biden campaign spokesperson said in a statement, “The only person who should be ashamed here is Donald Trump”.
Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the remarks were antisemitic.
“It is something you don’t want to see anyone say but you certainly a former president United States,” he told The Independent. “It’s something that is very harmful to this country. And just because he normalizes this type of speech doesn’t make it any better.”
“Donald Trump openly demeans Jewish Americans and reportedly thinks Adolf Hitler ‘did some good things’. He has said the only people he wants counting his money are ‘short guys wearing yarmulkes’, and praised neo-Nazis who chanted ‘Jews will not replace us’ as ‘very fine people’,” the spokesperson added.
Democratic Representative Becca Balint, who is Jewish and supports a ceasefire in Gaza, said Mr Trump made the remarks to distract from the fact he might not post his appeal bond for his $464m fraud judgment.
“When he doesn’t want people to think he’s a loser, he lashes out at whatever group happens to be handy,” she told The Independent. “He’s insecure, and he has no impulse control. We know he’s an antisemite already. This is just more evidence.”
Steve Cohen, a House Democrat from Tennessee, told the outlet that Mr Trump “has no religion”, adding that he “never goes to church, certainly doesn’t know anything regarding Matthew and the New Testament and less regarding Jews and their commitment to social justice and Israel”.
Florida Democratic representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz told The Independent that “someone who’s fanned the flames of antisemitism is one to talk”.
On Monday, a Trump spokesperson pushed ahead with the former president’s narrative, saying, “The Biden Administration has given millions in aid to Gaza and the Iranian Regime, Democrats in Congress have signed petitions supporting Gaza terrorists and caved to the demands of far-left Palestinian extremists”.
“The Democrat Party has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist cabal,” spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, according to Axios.
The Pew Research Center noted that in 2020 “US Jews are still a largely Democratic and politically liberal group today, as they have been for decades”.
Seventy-one per cent of American Jews identified with or leaned towards the Democrats in a survey conducted between 2019 and 2020.
Former President Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding Jewish Democrats have sparked controversy and criticism. Trump claimed that “any Jewish person that votes for Democrats… hates everything regarding Israel.” These remarks not only reveal Trump’s intentions to use the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas as ammunition once morest President Joe Biden in the upcoming 2024 election but also raise questions regarding the relationship between the Democratic Party, Israel, and Jewish Americans.
Trump made these comments during an interview on the America First radio show, hosted by his former White House aide Sebastian Gorka. He specifically targeted Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer, who had recently voiced his disapproval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and suggested holding new elections in Israel. The deteriorating relationship between the Biden administration and Netanyahu’s government, with Biden publicly criticizing Israel for its handling of the conflict and the high number of Palestinian casualties, has further strained the situation.
Trump’s assertion that Democrats hate Israel and Jewish people is a powerful claim, potentially influencing opinions on the Democratic Party’s stance toward Israel and the Jewish community. However, it is essential to note that many Democrats, including Biden, have faced criticism from progressives for their unwavering support of Israel and continued provision of aid to the country. Trump argues that Democrats prioritize gaining votes from pro-Palestinian activists and criticize Israel to appeal to this constituency.
The remarks made by Trump have been widely denounced as antisemitic, with Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii describing them as one of the most antisemitic things a public official has ever said. Critics argue that Trump’s history of demeaning Jewish Americans, such as his reported praise of Adolf Hitler’s actions, his derogatory comments regarding money and Jewish individuals, and his response to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, reinforce the perception that he perpetuates antisemitism.
Democratic Representative Becca Balint, a Jewish supporter of a ceasefire in Gaza, suggests that Trump’s comments are aimed at diverting attention from his inability to post an appeal bond for his massive fraud judgment. The focus on Jewish Democrats, she argues, allows him to project strength and distract from his own perceived weaknesses.
Members of both parties have criticized Trump’s religious understanding, with House Democrat Steve Cohen claiming that Trump “has no religion” and lacks knowledge regarding Jewish traditions, social justice, and Israel’s significance to the Jewish community. Florida Democratic representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz points out the irony of Trump commenting on the issue of antisemitism, given his track record of fueling its flames.
A spokesperson