Share this @internewscast.com

Senate Republicans offered a variety of responses Tuesday to their party’s presumptive presidential nominee’s saying this week that Jewish voters who back Democrats hate Israel.

A handful of senators criticized former President Donald Trump’s comments, some appeared to agree with him, and at least two insisted they hadn’t seen the remarks, which invoked a trope that American Jews have divided loyalties between the U.S. and Israel.

Other senators responded with what became a common refrain while Trump was in office — saying it was a poor choice of words without directly condemning him.

“I wouldn’t say any of that,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said of Trump’s comments.

“It’s not what I would say,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., similarly suggested that Trump could use “more artful language” but contended that he is “not wrong about, I think, Democratic leaders’ failing the Israeli state and, and second-guessing them.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., said he hadn’t closely followed Trump’s remarks but added that he “speaks his mind.”

Asked whether Trump should back off the kind of rhetoric he used this week, Thune said he’d “prefer to keep people’s religious faith out of these discussions.”

The firestorm started when Trump said in an interview with Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump administration official, that “any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion.”

“They hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves, because Israel will be destroyed,” Trump continued, before he discussed Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a frequent Trump critic, offered some of the most pointed criticism of Trump’s remarks.

“That’s highly offensive,” he said. “We do not in this country attack people based upon their religious beliefs or their political views.”

“Conflating religion to politics is an enormous error and violates some of the founding principles of our, of our government and our American history. It’s a terrible mistake on his part, for which he really ought to apologize but won’t,” Romney added.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., meanwhile, appeared to echo Trump’s position that Jewish voters are wrong to back Democrats.

“I don’t know why any Jewish person would support Democrats,” he said. “The Biden administration is not holding Hamas accountable.”

A Pew Research Center poll conducted last month found that 62% of Jewish Americans held a favorable view of President Joe Biden, while 21% of Jewish Americans rated Trump favorably.

Biden’s re-election campaign has condemned the comments, with a campaign spokesperson saying Monday that “Donald Trump openly demeans Jewish Americans.”

Visiting Omaha, Nebraska, on Tuesday, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, blasted Trump’s remarks as “a disgusting, toxic, antisemitic thing to say by anyone, let alone a former president.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is also Jewish and recently called for new elections in Israel, condemned the remarks, calling them “utterly disgusting and a textbook example of the kind of antisemitism facing Jews, pushing the dangerous antisemitism trope of dual loyalty.”

Trump accused “liberal Jews” in a social media post last year of voting to “destroy” the U.S. and Israel.

On Tuesday, Trump appeared to double down on his recent remarks as he left a polling location in Palm Beach, Florida. Asked about his comments in the Gorka interview, he said, “Democrats have been very, very opposed to Jewish people.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Cala d'Hort bay in Ibiza, Spain, with boats and the islands of Es Vedrà and Es Vedranell.

36-Year-Old British Tourist Dies in Ibiza Hospital After Experiencing Two Heart Attacks

A BRITISH tourist has died after suffering two heart attacks on holiday…
Missile launch at night.

India and Pakistan Reach ‘Immediate Ceasefire Agreement,’ Following US-Mediated Talks, Claims Trump

INDIA and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire”, Donald…
First American elected pontiff, get to know Pope Leo XIV

Robert Cardinal Prevost Becomes First American Pope, Chooses the Name Leo XIV

The Vatican revealed the election of Pope Leo XIV, marking a historic…
Replica fort unveiled at Fort Mose

Reconstructed Fort Revealed at Fort Mose

Following a year’s worth of construction efforts, a full-scale model of the…
ICE arrests ‘criminal alien’ released from prison with sex crimes conviction: 'He won’t be welcome back'

ICE Apprehends Convicted Sex Offender After Prison Release: ‘No Longer Welcome’

A “criminal alien” and “suspected terrorist” who served 19 years in prison…
UNSOLVED: The disappearance of Robert McLaughlin

Mysterious Case: The Vanishing of Robert McLaughlin

Robert McLaughlin always carried his recordings wherever he went. So when they…
Uncle Sam’s Devil’s Island: From Al Capone to ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly, meet Alcatraz’s most infamous inmates

Alcatraz’s Notorious Residents: From Al Capone to ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly

President Donald Trump, in a Sunday evening post on Truth Social, called…
Velocity Jets offers flyers direct flight to Rome in honor of POpe Leo: ad

Velocity Jets Launches Nonstop Flights to Rome Celebrating Pope Leo’s Legacy

Blessed are the jet-setters. A charter company is offering travelers an opportunity…
Pope Leo XIV's first phone call with brother John Prevost caught on camera

First-Ever Phone Call Between Pope Leo XIV and Brother John Prevost Captured on Video

New pope, who dis? Pope Leo XIV’s initial phone conversation with his…
Prince Andrew in a BBC Newsnight interview.

Lawyer for Epstein Victim Accuses Andrew of Broken Promises and Secrecy While Duke Continues to Avoid FBI

PRINCE Andrew will take any secrets he has about Virginia Giuffre “to…
Portrait of Blair McDougall, MP.

Lawmakers from Labour Party Caution: Hasty Assisted Dying Legislation Could Deter Voters

LABOUR MPs warn the controversial assisted dying bill will put off voters…
Woman in white bikini on a boat.

Horrifying Messages from 24-Year-Old Tourist Beaten to Death at Festival After Being Abducted by Man Who ‘Promised to Make Her Famous’

A TOURIST found dying in a coma after a music festival sent…