President Donald Trump said Jews who vote for Democrats are either ignorant or disloyal after two U.S. congresswomen were blocked from entering Israel because they support a boycott of the country over its treatment of Palestinians.
“Any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat -- I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,” Trump said Tuesday during an Oval Office meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
The president’s comments echo remarks he’s made about the two freshmen Democratic representatives -- Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar -- saying they “hate” Jewish people and Israel. Trump had encouraged Israel not to let them into the country, a move that was ultimately criticized in Washington by Democrats and Republicans alike. Trump has called Tlaib and Omar the “face” of the Democratic Party.
American Jews have historically voted overwhelmingly for Democrats. In the 2018 midterm elections, 79% of Jews backed Democratic candidates, according to Pew Research Center.
Israel said Friday it would let Tlaib visit her elderly grandmother in the West Bank, but the congresswoman declined, saying the terms of the trip were too restrictive.
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