Schumer calls out Trump, warning of ‘dramatic resurgence’ of antisemitism
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday called out former President Trump, warning against a “dramatic resurgence” of antisemitism spreading across the U.S.
Schumer, who is Jewish, slammed Trump during remarks at a conference on combating antisemitism for dining last month with antisemitic rapper Ye and white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
“When a former president of the United States welcomes at his own dinner table several vicious antisemites,” Schumer said, “and then rather than apologizing afterwards he lectures American Jewish leaders for insufficient loyalty, it is incumbent on all of us to speak out.”
Trump, under fire for the dinner, last week accused Jewish leaders of a lack of “loyalty,” echoing previous comments he has made criticizing Jewish Americans for not supporting him enough.
“How quickly Jewish Leaders forgot that I was the best, by far, President for Israel,” he said in a post on Truth Social. “They should be ashamed of themselves. This lack of loyalty to their greatest friends and allies is why large numbers in Congress, and so many others, have stopped giving support to Israel.”
Schumer was attending a seminar hosted by the Orthodox Union and held at the Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York.
Joining Schumer was New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Hochul on Monday announced a statewide hate and bias prevention task force designed to “be an early warning system” to educate and prevent hate speech and hate-related incidents.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says the number of reported antisemitic incidents, including assaults and vandalism, reached an all-time high in 2021. The ADL has been tracking the data since 1979.
Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., on Monday said when hate rises, Americans must keep pushing back, according to additional comments reported by The Times of Israel.
“The roots of tolerance go deep, I would argue deeper than the roots of bigotry in America,” the senator said, “but again those roots of tolerance cry out for voices to strengthen them, to remember them to speak out in favor.”
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed..