WASHINGTON (TN) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday criticized former President Donald Trump for spreading “anti-Semitism,” even though his own party has a dubious reputation on the issue.
Senator Schumer opened the prime-time speeches on the second night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). After touting the Democratic Party’s chance of retaining control of the Senate in November, the Senator told those in attendance that he wanted to end his remarks “on a personal note.”
“As the highest-ranking Jewish politician in American history, I want my grandchildren and all grandchildren to never experience discrimination because of who they are,” he said. “But Donald Trump – that’s a guy who spreads anti-Semitic stereotypes. He even invited a white supremacist to Mar-a-Lago.”
Trump invited far-right political commentator Nick Fuentes to Mar-a-Lago in 2022. Fuentes has promoted anti-Semitic views and received praise from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in June.
Senator Schumer then pointed to a pin on his lapel and said he “wears this blue square to protest anti-Semitism.” The blue square pins are from a campaign launched last year by the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism and are meant to symbolize support for the Jewish community.
The senator’s comments come as the Democratic Party continues to face accusations of anti-Semitism within its ranks. Most recently, several Republicans claimed that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was passed over as Kamala Harris’s vice presidential candidate because of his Jewish heritage.
Those concerns were even shared by former Obama adviser Van Jones, who said he feared the rebuff of Governor Shapiro was a caving in to “anti-Jewish bigots” in the party. But the Pennsylvania Democrat dismissed such fears at the DNC this week, saying anti-Semitism played “no role” in his “dialogue” with Harris.
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Another Democrat who has raised concerns about the party’s tone is Senator John Fetterman (D-Penn.). During a visit to Jerusalem in June, the senator told reporters that “a confrontation by the political left on anti-Semitism is necessary.”
“It’s disgusting and I don’t hear many of these people really condemning it,” he said at the time.
Accusations of failing to condemn anti-Semitism have often been leveled at The Squad in particular. Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan was censured by the House of Representatives late last year for making “anti-Semitic” comments and was named “Anti-Semite of the Year” by the advocacy group StopAntisemitism.
In June, Squad member Jamaal Bowman (DN.Y.) lost his primary election after coming under fire for defending Hamas against allegations of rape of Israeli women. He later apologized for his comments.
Both Squad members joined 43 Democrats in the House of Representatives in voting in April against a resolution condemning the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The Anti-Defamation League considers the phrase anti-Semitic and it was included in the original governing charter of Hamas, the terrorist organization that invaded Israel last year.
The attention the Democratic Party is facing is also due to the inaction of lawmakers. Pro-Palestinian protesters stormed the DNC this week, and authorities arrested dozens of them outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago on Tuesday. During a demonstration on Monday, protesters chanted “Killer Kamala” and waved Palestinian flags.
Amid the criticism, about 30,000 people joined a Zoom call hosted by Jewish Women for Kamala on Thursday, less than two weeks after a separate Jews for Harris meeting. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign last week launched Jewish Voices for Trump, a coalition of Jewish leaders that recognizes “the dangerous rise of radical left-wing anti-Semitism.”
