Former US President Donald Trump on Wednesday welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to add Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the Democratic ticket, calling it a “shocking pick.”
Speaking to Fox News, Trump also claimed that Harris did not pick Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, whom he said would have been a stronger choice than Walz, as her running mate because of his Jewish heritage.
“I’m no big fan of Josh Shapiro. I know the state very well … but I would have said it would have been a better choice,” the former President said.
“I have very little doubt … it was because of the fact that he’s Jewish, and they think they’re going to offend somebody else,” Trump added, repeating his previous claim that any Jewish person who votes for Democrats should “have their head examined.”
Trump’s running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, opined on Tuesday that if does not choose Josh Shapiro, "it will be due to the antisemitism within their own caucus and party.”
He added, “It's disgraceful that Democrats have reached a point where this is even an open conversation. And it is an open conversation. Even if it is Josh Shapiro, he has had to distance himself from parts of his biography because the far left doesn’t like the fact that he is a Jewish-American. We have to be honest about this fact and call it out."
US House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) made a similar argument in an interview with The Hill.
“I think that clearly was a major factor, is that she was reluctant to put a vice presidential nominee on the ticket with Jewish heritage because they’re having a split in the Democratic Party,” Johnson said. “They have a pro-Palestinian, in some cases pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party.”
“Sadly for Josh Shapiro, because of his heritage, I think that is the reason he was overlooked,” Johnson added.