Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at an event titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America” at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on Sept. 19, 2024. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

By Lauren Markoe September 20, 2024

American Jewish groups are publicly blasting former President Donald Trump for his assertion that “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with it” if he loses the election.

Trump’s remark, made in a Thursday speech to a Jewish audience in Washington, D.C., aligns with his past expressions of frustration toward American Jews for their tendency to vote for Democrats. He has accused them of ingratitude since the 2020 election, when 77% of Jewish voters cast ballots for President Joe Biden according to a J Street poll (68% according to an Associated Press survey.) A recent poll sponsored by a Democratic group shows Jewish American voters will overwhelmingly vote for Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump.

Trump’s speech, which was billed as an address to outline his plan to combat antisemitism, was one of two he made to Jewish groups on Thursday. In the second, delivered to the Israeli American Council, he also trafficked in antisemitic tropes and stereotypes, and what the Anti-Defamation League called “rampant accusations of dual loyalty” in a Friday statement.

Trump has raised the ire of Jewish groups before for using language accusing Jews of dual loyalty — a longstanding antisemitic trope — and for fraternizing with antisemites and white supremacists. But his comments Thursday, which included his claim that Israel would face “total annihilation” if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election, went “one step further,” as one Jewish Democratic activist put it, prompting a more robust reaction.

More conservative Jewish Americans, however, including those in the audience Thursday, had a starkly different take on Trump’s message Thursday. “A tour de force,” the Republican Jewish Coalition called it.

Here are some of their statements, which have been edited for length and clarity.

The American Jewish Committee 

Whoever a majority of the Jewish community votes for, Jews — roughly 2% of the U.S. population — cannot and should not be blamed for the outcome of the election. Setting up anyone to say ‘we lost because of the Jews’ is outrageous and dangerous. Thousands of years of history have shown that scapegoating Jews can lead to antisemitic hate and violence.

Like all Americans, some Jews will vote for President Trump and some will vote for Vice President Harris. Both candidates should work to earn the support of our community based on policy. But let’s not make this election and its outcome about the Jews.

Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO & National Director Anti-Defamation League

I appreciate that former President Trump called out antisemitism and recognized its historic surge. He’s right on that. But the effect is undermined by then employing numerous antisemitic tropes and anti-Jewish stereotypes — including rampant accusations of dual loyalty.

Preemptively blaming American Jews for your potential election loss does zero to help American Jews. It increases their sense of alienation in a moment of vulnerability when right-wing extremists and left-wing anti-Zionists continually demonize and slander Jews. This is happening on college campuses, in public places, everywhere. There are threats on all sides, period.

Halie Soifer, CEO if the Democratic Council of America

The Republican Jewish Coalition

President Donald Trump’s speech last night was a tour de force in support of the Jewish community and Israel, as we collectively face some of the darkest days in modern Jewish history. From start to finish, President Trump received countless standing ovations as he promised to defund universities that tolerate antisemitism, defend and protect Jewish Americans, restore the US-Israel relationship, remove terrorist sympathizers from America and call out Kamala Harris for appeasing Hamas terrorists.

He rightly pointed out that as president of the United States, he did more for American Jews and the Jewish state than any president in modern history; and although many Jewish Americans vote for Democrats, he is working tirelessly to change that. We fully expect President Trump to build on his historic success in this critical 2024 election. With antisemitism skyrocketing to record highs and the U.S.-Israel relationship reaching new lows, it is more important than ever to send President Trump back to the White House. Nov. 5, 2024 cannot come soon enough.

Lauren Maunus, political director of IfNotNow

Make no mistake: this is a clear and flagrant instruction to his fanatical base of extremists to target Jews with retributive violence if he should lose in November.

Amy Spitalnick, CEO if the Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Trump continues to label Jews who don’t support him as disloyal and crazy, to play into dangerous dual loyalty tropes, and to blame Jews for a potential electoral loss. At the same time, he continues to normalize antisemitic extremism — spreading the ‘invasion’ and ‘replacement’ conspiracies that have fueled deadly attacks against Jews, immigrants, and so many others; embracing and platforming avowed neo-Nazis and other extremists; and mainstreaming broader hate and violence.

Treating Jews and Israel as political footballs makes Jews, Israel, and all of us less safe. Dividing Jews into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ camps and engaging in dual loyalty tropes further normalizes antisemitism. It needs to stop, and anyone who cares about Jewish safety should call it out. This is not partisan politics — it’s about the fundamental safety of the Jewish community.

Abraham Foxman, former CEO of the ADL

He is reinforcing all the canards about Jewish disloyalty, Jewish power, Jewish influence. And he’s saying, basically, if he loses it’s our fault. He’s setting us up.

Democratic Reps. Dan Goldman of New York, Kathy Manning of North Carolina, Brad Schneider of Illinois, Brad Sherman of California and Ritchie Torres of New York

Donald Trump has dangerously and irresponsibly shifted blame on the Jewish people for his potential loss in November — yet another extension of a pervasive antisemitic trope. His charge that Jews are disloyal to the United States is another of many examples of his pattern of stoking division and hatred, and is especially damaging at a moment when antisemitic attacks are exponentially surging.

Trump’s repeated, insulting and offensive remarks directed at the Jewish community show a callous disregard for our well-being, while his cozy relationships with Holocaust deniers, Nazi sympathizers and bigots reveal that his promises are meaningless and are beyond disqualifying. Last night revealed again who he is — a liar and a bigot who views Jewish Americans as political pawns in his single-minded quest to stay out of jail by winning the election.

Joel Pollack, an editor at Breitbart News

He wasn’t blaming Jews for anything, but rather, as he said, hoping Jews would be ‘energized’ to get out the vote for him. He said nothing different than conservative Jews say, and was probably gentler about it than I would have been.

Michael Koplow, chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum

I don’t really understand how it is that a presidential nominee can say something like this at an event that is billed as fighting antisemitism and standing up for Jews. It’s mind-blowing. I think it betrays a lack of knowledge and sensitivity in Trump’s heart towards what antisemitism actually is.

JTA contributed to this report.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount