During a campaign event in Nebraska, second gentleman Doug Emhoff criticized former President Trump for his recent comments about Democratic Jewish voters, saying he should be “condemned” for his “disgusting, toxic and antisemitic” remarks.
“This is a disgusting, toxic antisemitic thing to say, by anyone, let alone a former president of the United States, and it must be condemned,” Emhoff said, as reported by Bloomberg.
Emhoff was responding to Trump’s recent interview with conservative radio host Sebastian Gorka, where he said Democrats “hate Israel” and that Jewish voters who back Democrats hate their religion.
Gorka asked Trump why top Democrats “hate” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as tensions rise between President Biden and Israel’s top leader over the war in Gaza.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Emhoff said the former president “uses stereotypes to demean Jewish Americans.”
“He called Neo-Nazis at Charlottesville ‘very fine people.’ And his former Chief of Staff said he even praised Adolf Hitler,” Emhoff posted. “This hateful and antisemitic rhetoric is toxic. Donald Trump is the one who should be ashamed.”
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized Netanyahu for losing “his way” in the ongoing political and legal battles he faces and his handling of Israel’s war against Hamas.
Emhoff, a prominent Jewish figure in the Biden administration, has been a voice for the White House addressing the rise of antisemitism since Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7. In January, he attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he highlighted the Biden-Harris administration’s “commitment to countering the global rise of antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate of all kinds.”
Trump’s comments, and Emhoff’s response, came shortly after Trump earned the Republican Party’s presidential nomination, setting up a rematch between him and Biden, the Democratic Party’s choice.
Since the start of the war, Trump has repeatedly positioned himself as deeply supportive of Israel in its mission to defend itself. Biden, on the other hand, has become more vocal about how Israel should be conducting its counteroffensive.
On Monday, Biden spoke with Netanyahu and stressed that the U.S. is still supportive of Israel defeating Hamas, but thinks the country needs to do it in a “coherent and sustainable” way. The call marks the first time the leaders have spoken since Biden said Netanyahu was hurting Israel.