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Donald Trump and antisemitism

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Trump states on August 20, 2019, "...I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty." Video from White House.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has a history of speech and actions that have been viewed by scholars, Jewish organizations, and the public as antisemitic or fostering a political climate that is hospitable to antisemites. President Trump has also been an outspoken critic of anti-Israel sentiment in the United States, including on college campuses, which he characterizes as antisemitic. Critics have alleged that President Trump has views that are simultaneously pro-Israel and antisemitic.[1]

Accusations of antisemitism

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Antisemitic tropes and threats

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Throughout his first presidency, Donald Trump was accused of espousing antisemitism on numerous occasions. In a speech at the Israeli-American Council in 2019, Trump referenced classic antisemitic tropes in his appeal to Jewish voters.[2] Discourse around Trump's relationship with Judaism in America was revived later in his presidency. In October 2022, Trump called for American Jews to "appreciate Israel before it's too late", aligning with his past claims that American Jews no longer love Israel.[3]

Jewish voters who support Democrats "disloyal"

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On August 20, 2019, after a reporter asked "Should there be any change in U.S. aid to Israel?", Donald Trump stated within his answer, "And I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty." The quote caused outrage,[4] shock and disdain[5] from Jewish leaders and citizens in the United States.[6][7][8] They claimed that the president was perpetuating antisemitic stereotypes.[8][9] Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders responded at a campaign rally in Iowa City, "I am a proud Jewish person, and I have no concerns about voting Democratic. And in fact, I intend to vote for a Jewish man to become the next president of the United States."[10][11][12]

Claim that Jewish Democrats hate Israel and their religion

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On March 18, 2024, Trump was criticized for claiming "any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion", and that "they hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed". Following mounting criticism from Jewish groups, Trump's campaign responded that "Trump is right", and that the Democratic Party "has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel, antisemitic, pro-terrorist cabal". Jonathan Greenblatt of the Anti-Defamation League called Trump's comments "defamatory and patently false". Chief executive Amy Spitalnick of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs claimed that Trump was "further normalizing dangerous antisemites". Trump's claims were accused of evoking an antisemitic trope that Jews have a 'dual loyalty' and are more loyal to Israel than to their own countries. Trumps comments echoed previous comments he made during his presidency by accusing Jews who vote for Democrats as "disloyal".[13] Following his initial comments on March 18, Trump has repeatedly said that Jews who vote for Biden are betraying their religious and cultural identities.[14]

The Harris campaign and several non-partisan Jewish organizations criticized Trump's comments during an antisemitism conference on September 19 where he stated that "if I don't win this election" then "the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss" and continued criticizing liberal Jews for "voting for the enemy" by claiming the Democratic party had a "hold, or curse" on Jewish Americans.[15][16]

Denying Chuck Schumer's Jewishness

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In March, 2025, Trump made comments denying the Jewishness of Chuck Schumer, stating that, "As far as I'm concerned, he's become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He's not Jewish any more. He's a Palestinian." Trump's remarks were condemned by rights groups as antisemitic and anti-Palestinian.[17][18][19] In response, Schumer alleged that Trump, "does not do enough to combat antisemitism...even though I don't think he's antisemitic himself."[20]

Executive orders to counter antisemitism

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See also: Executive Order 13899, Executive Order 14188, and Activist deportations in the second Trump presidency

During his first administration, on December 11, 2019, Trump signed Executive Order 13899, "Combating Anti-Semitism," aimed at making it easier to use laws that prohibit institutional discrimination against people based on race, color or national origin to punish discrimination against Jewish people, and classifying opposition to Israel and Zionism as antisemitism.[21][22]

During his second administration, on January 29, 2025, Trump signed Executive Order 14188, "Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism", which focuses on antisemitism in educational settings, especially in higher education.[23] Trump claimed that there has been an "explosion of antisemitism" in the United States and vowed to arrest and deport "Hamas sympathizers" and "pro-jihadist" student protesters.[24] The executive order has been used in attempts to deport holders of student visas and green cards who have expressed pro-Palestinian views,[25] and in investigations into 60 colleges and universities based on their alleged failures to protect students from "antisemitic harassment and discrimination".[26] Such uses have been supported by some Jewish groups and opposed by others,[27] with more than one of the latter groups suggesting that antisemitism is being used as a guise for authoritarianism.[27][28][29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Trump right's pro-Israel antisemitism". Vox. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  2. ^ Levin, Bess (December 9, 2019). "Trump Goes Full Anti-Semite in Room Full of Jewish People". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  3. ^ Concepcion, Summer (October 16, 2022). "Trump attacks American Jews, says they must 'get their act together' on Israel 'before it's too late'". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  4. ^ Lewis, Sophie (August 20, 2019). "Trump says any Jewish people who vote for Democrats show 'lack of knowledge or great disloyalty'". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Pilkington, Ed; Helmore, Edward (August 21, 2019). "Trump stands by antisemitic trope that sparked anger among Jewish Americans". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  6. ^ Levine, Marianne (August 21, 2019). "Jewish Dems rage over Trump's 'disloyalty' comments". Politico. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Behrmann, Savannah (August 20, 2019). "Trump: Jews voting for Democrats show 'great disloyalty'". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Lemire, Jonathan; Superville, Darlene (August 21, 2019). "Trump: Any Jew voting Democratic is uninformed or disloyal". Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "'Like the King of Israel': Trump Unleashes Bizarre Twitter Storm Day After 'Disloyal' Jews Comment". Haaretz. Associated Press. August 21, 2019. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  10. ^ Klar, Rebecca (August 20, 2019). "Sanders to Trump: 'I am a proud Jewish person' with 'no concerns about voting Democratic'". The Hill. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  11. ^ "Sanders Responds to Trump: I Intend to Vote for a Jewish Democrat to Be the Next President". Haaretz. August 21, 2019. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  12. ^ McArdle, Mairead (August 21, 2019). "Sanders Hits Back at Trump Over Jewish 'Loyalty' Comments". National Review. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Cameron, Chris (March 18, 2024). "Trump Says Jews Who Support Democrats 'Hate Israel' and 'Their Religion'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Gold, Michael (May 9, 2024). "Trump Again, and Repeatedly, Denounces Jews Who Support Biden". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  15. ^ Cameron, Chris; Gold, Michael (September 20, 2024). "Trump Says That if He Loses, 'the Jewish People Would Have a Lot to Do' With It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 20, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  16. ^ Farrow, Fritz; Oppenheim, Oren (September 20, 2024). "Harris campaign, Jewish groups fiercely criticize Trump preemptively blaming Jewish voters if he loses". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "Jewish, Muslim groups condemn Trump's use of 'Palestinian' as slur to put down Schumer". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  18. ^ "Trump draws condemnation for using 'Palestinian' as a slur against Schumer". Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  19. ^ "Trump condemned for using 'Palestinian' as slur to attack Schumer". The Guardian. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  20. ^ "'Don't tell my mother': Schumer responds to Trump saying he's 'not Jewish anymore'". The Forward. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  21. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica; LeBlanc, Paul; Klein, Betsy (December 11, 2019). "Trump to sign order to interpret Judaism as a nationality". CNN. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Baker, Peter; Haberman, Maggie (December 10, 2019). "Trump Targets Anti-Semitism and Israeli Boycotts on College Campuses". The New York Times.
  23. ^ Smith, Tovia (2025-01-30). "Trump order cracks down on antisemitism and could deport foreign student protesters". NPR. Archived from the original on 2025-03-03. Retrieved 2025-03-14.
  24. ^ "Trump order cracks down on antisemitism and could deport foreign student protesters". NPR. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  25. ^ "Who are the students Trump wants to deport?". Al Jazeera. 2025-03-27. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  26. ^ Tsui, Karina; Wolfe, Elizabeth (2025-03-11). "Department of Education investigating 60 colleges and universities over antisemitism claims". CNN. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  27. ^ a b Tracy, Marc; Shapiro, Eliza (2025-03-11). "Among American Jews, a Schism Over ICE Arrest of Columbia Activist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  28. ^ Ventre, Sarah (2025-04-11). "Jewish students at Georgetown protest detention of professor Badar Khan Suri". NPR. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  29. ^ Schwartz, Rafi (2025-04-08). "Jewish communities are wary of Trump's push to punish antisemitism". The Week US. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
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