President Trump on Friday said Republicans are ready to embrace Jewish voters seeking to leave the Democratic Party.
“The ‘Jexodus’ movement encourages Jewish people to leave the Democrat Party,” Trump tweeted Friday morning. “Total disrespect! Republicans are waiting with open arms. Remember Jerusalem (U.S. Embassy) and the horrible Iran Nuclear Deal!”
The ‘Jexodus’ movement encourages Jewish people to leave the Democrat Party. Total disrespect! Republicans are waiting with open arms. Remember Jerusalem (U.S. Embassy) and the horrible Iran Nuclear Deal! @OANN @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2019
Trump was referring to a new group founded by GOP operatives encouraging American Jews to abandon longtime ballot box support for Democratic candidates. His sentiments Friday echoed similar thoughts last week when he tweeted: “The Democrats have become an anti-Israel party and anti-Jewish party.”
Jewish voters have historically backed Democratic candidates. Dating back to 1924, Democratic presidential candidates have won a majority of Jewish voters — usually with 70 percent or higher support.
The issue has become more acute after recent comments by first-term Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. The Somali immigrant-turned-congresswoman recently questioned why it was alright for her to discuss the influence of the National Rifle Association on U.S. politics, but “not talk about a powerful lobby that is influencing policy” — a comment targeted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Omar also claimed last month in now-deleted tweets that U.S. politicians support for Israel was “all about the Benjamins baby,” a mention of $100 bills.
In response, Democrats first launched an effort to pass a resolution condemning anti-Semitism. The resolution was later modified to include “African-Americans, Native Americans, and other people of color, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, immigrants and others” who suffer from hate.
The resolution passed in the House by a 407-23 margin last week and only Republicans voted against it. However, the resolution disappointed some Jewish Democrats because it failed to only address anti-Semitism.
“We are having this debate because of the language of one of our colleagues, language that suggests Jews like me who serve in the United States in Congress and whose father earned a purple heart fighting the Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge, that we are not loyal Americans,” Representative Ted Deutch, D-Fla., said on the House floor.
