Trump blames Jewish voters for possible election loss

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that Jewish-American voters would be partly to blame if he loses the upcoming election to Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Speaking at the Israeli-American Council National Summit in Washington, Trump expressed frustration over trailing Harris in polls among American Jews.

Trump warned that if Harris wins, Israel could “cease to exist within two years,” arguing that Jewish voters, who largely support Democrats, would contribute to this outcome.

“If I don’t win this election—and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that… Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years,” Trump said, citing a poll he claimed showed Harris leading with 60% support among American Jews.

Though Trump did not specify the poll, a recent Pew Research Survey indicated that American Jews favor Harris by 65% to 34%. In both the 2016 and 2020 elections, Trump garnered less than 30% of the Jewish vote.

The Trump campaign has made efforts to win over Jewish voters in key battleground states, where even a small shift could be decisive. In Pennsylvania, for instance, over 400,000 Jewish voters reside in a state Biden won by just 81,000 votes in 2020.

However, Trump’s remarks have drawn criticism. Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, rebuked Trump, stating that “preemptively blaming American Jews for your potential election loss does zero to help American Jews.”

Morgan Finkelstein, spokesperson for the Harris campaign, also criticized Trump for his past associations with anti-Semites, emphasizing that voters from diverse backgrounds are seeking to move past Trump’s divisiveness.

During his speech, Trump did not address a separate controversy surrounding North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, who was reported to have made inflammatory comments online, including referring to himself as a “black NAZI!” and advocating for the return of slavery.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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