Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

US President Donald Trump pointed out on Wednesday that no American president had done more than he has for Israel, amid criticism of his comments about Jewish Americans that were seen as anti-Semitic.

"I have been responsible for a lot of great things for Israel," Trump told reporters, according to AFP, when asked about his assertion a day earlier that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats show "a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty."

"No president has ever done anywhere close to what I've done" for Israel,” he added, citing as evidence his decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over part of the Golan Heights.

Trump also doubled down on his criticism of Democratic lawmakers such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib and accused them of being anti-Semitic.

"They are anti-Semites. In my opinion, if you vote for a Democrat, you're being very disloyal to Jewish people and you're being very disloyal to Israel," he said.

"In my opinion, the Democrats have gone very far away from Israel. I cannot understand how they can do that," Trump added.

Trump's comments on Tuesday about Jewish American voters prompted a wave of criticism, including from Jewish groups and Democratic lawmakers.

Trump on Wednesday doubled down on the criticism as he retweeted comments made by conservative radio host Wayne Allyn Root.

The comments the president made on Tuesday centered around Israel’s decision to bar Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from entering Israel on the grounds that they support the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Israel’s decision to ban Tlaib and Omar came shortly after Trump wrote on Twitter that Israel “would show great weakness” if it let in the two congresswomen.

However, while some accused Israel of caving to pressure from Trump on the matter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, later clarified that Trump had nothing to do with the decision.