Donald Trump says voting Democrat is disloyal to Jews, Israel

Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks on Jews who vote Democrat.

US President Donald Trump denies being anti-Semitic and accuses the Democrats of being increasingly hostile to Israel. Picture: Getty Images

Donald Trump has ramped up his attacks on Jews who vote Democrat accusing them of being disloyal to Jewish people and to Israel and saying that only ‘weak people’ would disagree with him.

In fiery comments today at the White House the president denied he was being anti-Semitic and accused the Democrats of being increasingly hostile to Israel.

“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 and only weak people would say anything other than that,” Mr Trump said.

His comments came after he retweeted a conservative commentator’s claim that he was the best US president in history for Israel and for the Jews.

“The Jewish people in Israel love him like he’s the King of Israel...They love him like he is the second coming of God,”’ radio host Wayne Allyn Root tweeted, to which Mr Trump tweeted ‘Wow’ and thanked Mr Root for ‘those very nice words.’

“But American Jews don’t know him or like him,” Mr Root continued “They don’t even know what they’re doing or saying anymore. It makes no sense!”

“Thank you to Wayne Allyn Root for the very nice words. “President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world...and the Jewish people in Israel love him....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2019

Mr Trump renewed his attacks on the four minority Democrat Congresswomen known as ‘The Squad’ accusing them of being anti-Semitic and anti-Israel and claiming that they were the face of the Democrat party.

Last week Israeli president Benjamin Netanyanyu, under pressure from the Trump administration, banned two members of the Squad, Ilham Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from making an official visit to the country because of their support for the anti-Israeli Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Mr Trump’s attack on Jews who vote Democrat triggered a swift backlash.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America said the president was trying to “weaponise and politicise anti-Semitism” for political gain.

Jewish groups say the president has evoked an anti-Semitic trope suggesting that Jews have a ‘dual loyalty’ and are frequently more loyal to Israel than other countries.

“When he uses a trope that’s been used against the Jewish people for centuries with dire consequences, he is encouraging — wittingly or unwittingly — anti-Semites throughout the country and world,” Democrat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted. “Enough.”

Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said “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.”

“American Jews — like all Americans — have a range of political views and policy priorities,” David Harris, chief executive of the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee, said. “His assessment of their knowledge or ‘loyalty,’ based on their party preference, is inappropriate, unwelcome, and downright dangerous.”

But the Republican Jewish Coalition defended the president’s comments.

“President Trump is pointing out the obvious: for those who care about Israel, the position of many elected Democrats has become anti-Israel,” the Coalition said.

Jewish Republican Congressman Lee Zeldin also backed the president, tweeting that he was right to attack the “Omar/Tlaib Wing of the Dem party.’

“He’s a fighter & won’t back down. On these policy priorities, he’s correct,’ Mr Zeldin tweeted.

The Jewish community in the US is strongly pro-Democrat with 75 per cent of Jewish voters casting ballots for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and 80 per cent voting Democrat in last November’s mid-term elections.

Jewish Democrats say their criticism of Israel reflects differences in policy with Mr Netanyahu and his conservative Likud Party rather than any hostility or disloyalty towards the state of Israel.

Mr Netanyahu did not comment on Mr Trump’s claims.

The president has adopted strongly pro-Israel policies during his presidency including moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and confronting Israel’s biggest enemy Iran.

Mr Trump has forged a close personal bond with Mr Netanyahu and claims the US-Israeli relationship has never been stronger.

(Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia)