By Jason Lemon |
“Any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat — I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,” Trump told reporters at the White House as he discussed a Monday press conference by Democratic Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, in which they criticized Israeli leaders for barring them from entering the Mediterranean nation.
The congresswomen were joined by Jewish-American supporters during that press conference, during which they suggested that the U.S. Congress should consider cutting the billions of dollars in aid it regularly provides to Israel. Those comments were similar to remarks by 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is also Jewish. He has repeatedly slammed the Israeli government decision to ban his colleagues, arguing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should also decline aid money sent from Washington.
“Cutting off aid to Israel because of two people that hate Israel and hate Jewish people — I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation,” Trump said on Tuesday from the Oval Office.
On Twitter, some of the president’s critics were quick to suggest that the president’s comments were anti-Semitic. “So about that dual loyalty trope…” Ben Rhodes, a political commentator who worked for the administration of President Barack Obama, tweeted, sharing the president’s quote.
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