Donald Trump and antisemitism

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 perceived anti-Israel antisemitism in the United States, including on college campuses. Critics have alleged that President Trump has views that are simultaneously pro-Israel and antisemitic.

Accusations of antisemitism

Antisemitic tropes and threats

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. 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.

Jewish voters who support Democrats "disloyal"

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, shock and disdain from Jewish leaders and citizens in the United States. They claimed that the president was perpetuating antisemitic stereotypes. 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."

Claim that Jewish Democrats hate Israel and their religion

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". Following his initial comments on March 18, Trump has repeatedly said that Jews who vote for Biden are betraying their religious and cultural identities.

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.

Denying Chuck Schumer's Jewishness

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. In response, Schumer alleged that Trump, "does not do enough to combat antisemitism...even though I don't think he's antisemitic himself."

Executive orders to counter antisemitism

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.

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. 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. The executive order has been used in attempts to deport holders of student visas and green cards who have expressed pro-Palestinian views, and in investigations into 60 colleges and universities based on their alleged failures to protect students from "antisemitic harassment and discrimination". Such uses have been supported by some Jewish groups and opposed by others, with more than one of the latter groups suggesting that antisemitism is being used as a guise for authoritarianism.

References

External links

Donald Trump Continues His Long History of Pushing Antisemitic Tropes, Democrats.org
Donald Trump Is Fueling Antisemitism | Opinion, Newsweek
Donald Trump’s Anti-Semitic Obsession With Jews, Talking Points Memo

Donald Trump accused of antiSemitism after branding Jewish Democrat