Biden campaign disavows Linda Sarsour after her convention appearance

Linda Sarsour Image by Getty Images

Linda Sarsour appears onscreen during a meeting at the DNC. Image by youtube
Former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign distanced itself from former Women’s March leader Linda Sarsour after the Palestinian-American activist spoke to Democratic National Convention delegates during one of the conference’s virtual assemblies.
“Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Israel and a vehement opponent of anti-Semitism his entire life, and he obviously condemns her views and opposes BDS, as does the Democratic platform,” Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.
Sarsour quickly shot back on Twitter. “Just came here to remind you that you need a coalition to defeat Donald Trump and that Muslim Americans are an important voter bloc in key states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania & I know a little something about how to organize them,” she wrote.
In her appearance at the DNC’s Muslims and Allies virtual event, Sarsour said that she was willing to put aside her prior support for Sen. Bernie Sanders in pursuit of a Biden victory.
“The Democratic Party is not perfect, but it is absolutely our party at this moment,” she said. “I am here to say that I’m not looking for perfection. I’m looking to defeat fascism.”
Sarsour, an anti-Zionist who supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, received criticism when she led the Women’s March due to her past ties to the antisemitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
Republicans quickly jumped on Sarsour’s virtual presence at the DNC.
“It is outrageous that the Democratic National Committee would allow Linda Sarsour to represent their party to American voters,” Republican Jewish Coalition executive director Matt Brooks said in a statement. “Sarsour’s blatant anti-Semitism finally made her so treif that the radical Women’s March organization had to force her out of her leadership role, but she’s still kosher for the Democrat Party.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.