The Democratic mayor of Minneapolis has said he has been on the receiving end of threats and anti-Semitic rhetoric amid his recent feud with President Trump ahead of Trump’s Thursday rally in the city.
“I’ve received everything from anti-Semitic rhetoric to threats, and it’s disconcerting to say the least,” Mayor Jacob Frey (D) told the Daily Beast in an interview published Thursday, saying that his wife, lobbyist and community organizer Sarah Clarke, had been targeted as well.{mosads}
“Someone commented that she was trying to hide her identity because she has a different last name from me. It’s not hiding her identity, that’s championing her own identity. She does exceptional things and [a woman] can support her partner without being synonymous with him,” he said.
Frey and Trump have exchanged barbs on Twitter after the mayor said the president’s reelection campaign would have to pay a $530,000 security fee for his Target Center rally.
“Someone please tell the Radical Left Mayor of Minneapolis that he can’t price out Free Speech. Probably illegal!” Trump tweeted Tuesday.
“Someone tell the President of the United States that he can afford to help pay for the extra time our officers will be putting in while he’s in town,” Frey responded.
He told the Daily Beast the hate he has received wouldn’t deter him.
“To the extend that Trump tries to divide us, our community will stand by one another,” he said. “As a mayor, you’re not fully doing your job unless you’re pissing a chunk of people off.”
The Trump campaign has threatened a lawsuit over the matter, accusing Frey of trying to limit the First Amendment rights of the president and his supporters.