US Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign fired back at former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, after Trump gave a radio interview in which he claimed that Harris “doesn’t like Jews” and also criticized her Jewish husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Trump also said in the interview that "if you’re Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, you’re a fool, an absolute fool. They have let Jewish people down since Obama at a level that nobody could believe.”
In a statement released later on Tuesday, the Harris campaign called Trump “hateful” and “despicable,” and said the comments were “disgusting” and “below the dignity of anyone.”
“Donald Trump thinks he can score points with Jewish voters by denigrating them. He is wrong,” the statement said.
Trump has several times in the past criticized Jewish Americans who vote for the Democratic Party.
Last week, speaking at a campaign rally in Charlotte, Trump said of Harris, “Now what she’s doing is she’s running away from Israel. Bibi Netanyahu is in Washington, and she refuses to be there [at his speech]. Even if you’re against Israel, or you’re against the Jewish people, show up and listen to the concept.”
He then added, “But she’s totally against the Jewish people, and it amazes me how Jewish people will vote for the Democrats when they're being treated so disrespectfully and badly. It amazes me. It’s shocking."
In April, the former President said that any Jewish person who votes for President Joe Biden “does not love Israel” and “should be spoken to”.
Trump made similar comments in March, when he lashed out at the Democratic Party and at Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats.
In an interview with Sebastian Gorka on his radio show, Trump said, “The Democrat Party hates Israel…they also see a lot of votes. Don't forget, when you see those Palestinian marches, even I am amazed at how many people are in those marches. And guys like Schumer see that and to him it’s votes. I think it's votes more than anything else because he was always pro-Israel. He's very anti-Israel now.”
Trump then said, “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves.”
Last September, Trump criticized liberal Jews in a post on his Truth Social platform on Rosh Hashanah.
The unusual “greeting” from Trump included a graphic stating, "Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America & Israel because you believed in false narratives!"
It added, "Let’s hope you learned from your mistake & make better choices moving forward! Happy New Year!”