Trump clarifies he thinks Jews who vote Democrat are disloyal – to fellow Jews

US President seemed to clarify on Wednesday who he thought Jews were being “disloyal” toward when they vote Democrat.

“If you vote for a Democrat, you’re being disloyal to Jewish people and you’re being very disloyal to Israel,” he is quoted as saying by Bloomberg senior White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs.

Dems have gone very far away from Israel, Trump says at WH departure.

“If you vote for a Democrat, you’re being disloyal to Jewish people and you’re being very disloyal to Israel.”

He says he hasn’t heard anyone call his remarks from yesterday anti-Semitic. https://t.co/8lQ2dzAcoj

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 21, 2019

The comment follows his statement yesterday that “any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat – I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge, or great disloyalty.”

NEW: President Trump: “I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat – I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge, or great disloyalty.” pic.twitter.com/E3jSpbxMH7

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 20, 2019

That comments caused a stir, and a debate about who those Jews were betraying. Suggestions included Israel, America, fellow Jews, and Trump himself.

According to Jacobs, in his latest comments the US president says that Democrats have distanced themselves from Israel.

He also claims he hasn’t heard anyone call his earlier remarks anti-Semitic.

Here’s a refresher:

It’s unclear who @POTUS is claiming Jews would be “disloyal” to, but charges of disloyalty have long been used to attack Jews. As we’ve said before, it's possible to engage in the democratic process w/o these claims. It's long overdue to stop using Jews as a political football.

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) August 20, 2019

Here is the president suggesting that Jews are disloyal if they don't vote Republican. The notion of provisional belonging–that Jews aren't really American or French or whatever if they don't do xx–is an idea with a hideous history. N.B. Some 75% of American Jews vote Democrat. https://t.co/fTHTtOSPhi

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) August 20, 2019

Among many more.