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What specific comments did Donald Trump make about Jewish Americans?
Executive summary
Donald Trump has repeatedly made public comments about Jewish Americans that critics and many news outlets have characterized as invoking antisemitic tropes—most notably accusing Jewish voters who back Democrats of being “disloyal” to Israel or even saying they “hate their religion,” and more recently calling “any Jewish person” who votes for a particular New York candidate “a stupid person” [1] [2] [3]. Supporters point to his pro‑Israel record and outreach to Jewish groups as evidence of strong support for Jewish communities [4] [5].
1. Repeated charge: ‘disloyal’ or ‘dual loyalty’ claims
Reporting documents multiple occasions where Trump has tied American Jewish political choices to loyalty to Israel, saying Jews who vote Democratic are “disloyal” or suggesting American Jews owe political fealty to Israel—language critics say reproduces the classic antisemitic “dual loyalty” trope [6] [1]. Reuters recorded the White House in 2022 describing his comments as “insulting” and “anti‑Semitic” after he warned American Jews to “get their act together” [1].
2. Direct, recent examples: ‘hate their religion’ and ‘stupid’
In 2024–2025 reporting, Trump told interviewers and audiences that “any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion” and “hates everything about Israel,” a formulation widely condemned by journalists and administration spokespeople [2] [7]. On a 2025 Election Day post and interviews, he wrote that “Any Jewish person that votes for Zohran Mamdani… is a stupid person!!!” and repeated similar formulations, prompting coverage by NBC, Fox, Reuters and others [3] [8] [9].
3. Context from his defenders: record on Israel and Jewish safety
Trump’s defenders point to long‑standing rhetorical and policy gestures toward Israel and Jewish communities—his AIPAC address in 2016 emphasizing strong ties with Israel, moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and later White House proclamations celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month and promises to combat antisemitism [4] [5]. Supporters argue those actions counterbalance or contextualize his controversial comments [4] [5].
4. How Jewish leaders and organizations have reacted
Jewish leaders and organizations have been divided: many prominent Jewish figures and institutions called his comments harmful and antisemitic, stressing that painting Jewish voters as beholden to another country is a dangerous stereotype [10] [1]. At the same time, some Jewish conservatives and donors have defended him, citing policy achievements on Israel and security [6] [11].
5. Pattern vs. isolated incidents — what the timeline shows
Available reporting compiles incidents from at least 2015 through 2025 that form a pattern: early remarks at Jewish audience events about Jews and money, later assertions about Jewish loyalty to Israel, a 2021 clip where he asks if someone is a “good Jewish character,” and repeated 2023–2025 statements accusing Jewish Democrats of “hating” Israel or their religion and calling Jewish voters “stupid” for supporting certain Democrats [4] [12] [13] [2] [3]. The Forward and Reuters timelines and summaries treat these as recurrent themes in his public remarks [6] [1].
6. Media framing and official responses differ
Mainstream outlets such as The Guardian, Reuters and PBS report and quote critics who call these comments antisemitic; the White House in 2022 publicly called particular comments “insulting” and “anti‑Semitic” [1] [2] [10]. Conversely, conservative outlets and some Trump allies emphasize policy accomplishments for Israel and Jewish security, framing his rhetoric as political bluntness or frustration with voting outcomes [11] [4]. Both frames appear in the available reporting [1] [11].
7. Limits of available sources and what they do not say
Available sources document a range of public statements and reactions but do not provide a comprehensive catalog of every Trump remark about Jewish Americans or internal intent; they also do not uniformly settle whether every quoted line was meant literally versus rhetorically [6] [1]. Available reporting does not include private communications that might alter interpretation — those are not found in current reporting [12].
8. Bottom line for readers
The reporting establishes a clear pattern: Trump has combined strong pro‑Israel policy claims with repeated rhetorical attacks on Jewish voters who back Democrats, including statements that many Jewish leaders, the White House and multiple news organizations have labeled antisemitic or reliance on antisemitic tropes [1] [2] [6]. Supporters counter with a record of policy actions in favor of Israel and Jewish institutions, which they say contextualizes his comments [4] [5]. Readers should weigh both the documented words and the documented policy record when assessing intent and impact [3] [4].