Republican Confronted on Donald Trump's 'Antisemitic Trope'

Senator J.D. Vance, an Ohio Republican, was confronted on Donald Trump's "antisemitic trope" amid the Israel-Hamas war while appearing on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday.

On Thursday, Vance, a Trump loyalist, shared a clip on X, formerly Twitter, of the former president speaking to the media outside Manhattan Criminal Court where he is currently on trial for allegedly falsifying business records.

In the video, Trump said, "What [President Joe] Biden is doing with respect to Israel is disgraceful. If any Jewish person voted for Joe Biden, they should be ashamed of themselves. He's totally abandoned Israel."

Vance agreed with Trump, writing in his post, "Trump right again. Biden's policy in Israel is equal parts incoherent and immoral."

CNN's Dana Bash confronted Vance about his post Sunday morning, asking him, "You think that Jewish people who voted for Joe Biden should be ashamed of themselves?"

"What I think, Dana, is that people should look at the record here and recognize that Donald Trump has actually been really good for the state of Israel. We had peace and prosperity in our country, and we had a very stalwart ally of the Israelis," Vance said.

He continued: "Now Joe Biden is president. The Israelis have been attacked. You've got these terrible campus protests with a lot of antisemitic overtones all over our country. And you also have him trying to micromanage the Israeli response to them being attacked.

"Do I think it's reasonable to look at the situation and say that if you're a Jewish American—who cares about the state of Israel, who cares about these antisemitic riots—and say, you should be on the side of Republicans in 2024 because they've governed effectively on some of the issues that you care about. I think it's a totally reasonable argument to make and I think that Donald Trump's going to keep on making it."

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an attack against Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. In the months that followed, Israel's offensive has killed more than 34,800 Palestinians in Gaza, The Associated Press reported, citing local health officials.

An Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told Newsweek last month that there are 134 hostages—among them 11 foreign nationals—still being held hostage, with 123 released.

Biden has received bipartisan backlash over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. After the October 7 attack, Biden vowed to help the U.S.' strongest ally in the Middle East and while the White House maintains its support for Israel's right to self-defense, they have also been pushing for a temporary ceasefire to get the remaining hostages in Gaza out and more humanitarian aid in.

Bash pressed Vance on Sunday, saying that telling Jews to put Israel first and not considering them American citizens first "has been used as an antisemitic trope."

Vance said that Trump "hasn't singled out Jewish Americans," adding, "And just on that particular question about tropes, I mean, look, we know that Jewish Americans and non-Jewish Americans care about our ally Israel."

He continued: "I don't think anybody could look at the presidency and the conduct of Donald Trump and say, this is a person who's somehow antisemitic."

Dana retorted: "He had dinner with Nick Fuentes who is an avowed antisemite."

"Dana, you should look at the record of Joe Biden and recognize that whether you're Jewish or not, his presidency has been a disaster for the American people," Vance responded.

Trump had dinner with Fuentes, a Holocaust denier, and rapper Kanye West at his Mar-a-Lago resort in November 2022.

Meanwhile, Trump's spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek via email on Sunday, "That's not an anti-Semitic trope as Senator Vance accurately refuted her. If you look at the policies, no ally has done more to help keep Israel safe."

Newsweek also reached out to Vance via email for comment.

When reached for comment by Newsweek, Biden's campaign referred to a statement from spokesperson Charles Lutvak earlier this week: "As president, Donald Trump said neo-Nazi marchers were 'very fine people.' Now, like a cuckoo clock of hate, he is popping up every month with the same patronizing antisemitic shtick and reminding Jewish voters that he has no respect for us.

"Like Trump himself lately, his monthly attack on American Jews is getting tired. Voters are ready to put it to bed and they will—by reelecting a president in Joe Biden who cares about people and fights for them instead of one who denigrates them and only cares about himself.

"In words and actions, Joe Biden has been clear that he stands with and will protect the Jewish community against the hatred Trump has encouraged. Anyone who disagrees should be spoken to."

Update 5/12/24, 12:03 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

Update 5/12/24, 1:15 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Cheung.