Donald Trump Image by Getty Images

By John A. Oswald December 8, 2015

Looking for a Trump-free zone? You may want to consider St. Petersburg, Fla.

The city’s mayor, Rick Kriseman, a Jewish Democrat, has banned Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump.

The ban was in response to Trump’s controversial demand Monday that for “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Kriseman tweeted: “I am hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St. Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps.”

The mayor later indicated that his ban was not for real.

“You make a ridiculous statement, so you answer with a ridiculous statement,” Kriseman said.

“There are some people who thought I was seriously going to ban Donald Trump from St. Petersburg, and that’s obviously not something I would try to do. But his statement was kind of ridiculous, so I thought that it deserved an equal response.”

Trump’s call was met with praise from his supporters but roundly condemned by U.S. Democrats and even abroad.

British Prime Minister David Cameron labeled Trump’s views “divisive, unhelpful and quite simply wrong.”

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