United States: Former President Donald Trump asserted on Monday that any Jewish individual who casts their vote for President Joe Biden “does not love Israel” and “ought to be engaged in dialogue.”
During an interview broadcast on “Real America’s Voice” Monday night, Trump alleged that Democrats avoid discussing Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7 because Biden “holds no affection for Israel.”
“Any Jewish person voting for Biden doesn’t harbor a love for Israel and, frankly, deserves a conversation,” Trump remarked.
Trump contended that Biden, despite affirming Israel’s right to self-defense amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict while also criticizing Israel’s conduct, is “completely in favor of Palestinians.”
The former president then suggested that Jewish and Black individuals habitually lean towards voting for Democrats.
“Jewish individuals, by habit, lean towards the Democrats, and Black individuals, by habit, vote for the Democrats,” he stated.
Responding to Trump’s statement, the Biden campaign released a post stating: “Trump seems to be intimidating Jewish Americans who oppose him: They, frankly, ought to be spoken to.”
When approached for comment on Tuesday, Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer stated in a release that “Jewish Americans do not require to be ‘spoken to’ or threatened by Donald Trump,” referring to him as “an individual who has praised neo-Nazis” and “socialized with anti-Semites.”
“This is Trump’s modus operandi, employing division and hatred as political tools while seeking personal power,” Singer remarked. “Voters from all walks of life will once again reject his chaos, aggression, and deranged threats come November.”
In the interview, Trump also highlighted his track record on Israel during his tenure, citing his controversial decision to relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, viewed as a significant foreign policy achievement by the Obama administration.
Trump’s comments echo an antisemitic trope he has previously promoted, insinuating that American Jews maintain dual loyalties to both the U.S. and Israel.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee last month asserted that Jews who support Democrats “hate” Israel and “their faith.”
“Any Jewish individual supporting Democrats despises their faith,” Trump declared in an interview with Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump administration official, aired last month on his web show.
“They detest everything related to Israel, and they should feel ashamed of themselves because Israel will face destruction,” the former president added.
In September, Trump accused “liberal Jews” of voting to “destroy” the US and Israel in a post on his Truth Social platform, posted during the weekend of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
“Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America & Israel because you believed false narratives! Let’s hope you learned from your mistake & make better choices moving forward!” he stated. “Happy New Year!”
Trump had previously invoked the dual loyalty trope during his presidency. In 2019, Trump faced criticism for suggesting that “any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat” display “great disloyalty” or are naive.