Donald Trump insults Josh Shapiro and once again attracts accusations of anti-Semitism. At the same time, however, he wants to be “Israel’s best friend.”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has once again drawn accusations of anti-Semitism with a derogatory comment about the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania – Josh Shapiro is Jewish. On his online platform Truth Social, Trump described Shapiro as a “highly overrated Jewish governor” who “has done nothing for Israel and never will.”
Donald Trump presents himself as Israel’s “best friend”
He himself, however, is “the best friend that Israel and the Jewish people have ever had.” “I have done more for Israel than any other president, and frankly, I have done more for Israel than any other human being,” claimed the Republican. In this context, he also railed against his Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, whom he called a “comrade” and a “left-wing radical Marxist,” as he had done before.
Shapiro: Trump’s language is hateful
When asked by the press, Shapiro responded to Trump’s statement and said: “He is someone who routinely peddles anti-Semitic stereotypes.” The former president’s language is divisive and “hateful.”
A White House spokesman said in a statement, without naming Trump directly, that attacking a fellow American by mentioning his Jewish faith in a derogatory manner was “anti-Semitic, dangerous and hurtful.”
Shapiro was in the running for the position of Democratic vice presidential candidate alongside Harris. Ultimately, the choice fell on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. In the 2022 gubernatorial election, Shapiro, now 51, managed to prevail by a clear margin against Trump-backed opponent Doug Mastriano. This earned him great respect in his party.
Trump has already attracted attention with similar rhetoric
Trump has repeatedly made similar comments about Jews in the past. At a campaign event in the spring, for example, he said that US President Joe Biden had lost control of the situation in the Middle East. “Any Jew who votes for a Democrat or Biden should have their head examined.”
