Trump says Jews who support Democrats ‘hate Israel’ and ‘their religion’

Former President Donald J. Trump accused Jewish voters of hating their religion and Israel if they voted for Democrats, reviving and escalating the claim he made as president that Jewish Democrats were disloyal.

He made his comments in an interview published online Monday with Sebastian Gorka, a former White House aide to Trump who now hosts a conservative radio program. Mr. Gorka asked Mr. Trump about criticism that prominent Democrats — including President Biden and Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader — had leveled against Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s right-wing prime minister.

“I actually think they hate Israel,” Mr. Trump responded.

“Every Jewish person who votes for Democrats hates their religion,” he later added. “They hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed because Israel will be destroyed.”

Democratic officials “hate Israel,” he said, because they want votes from people who sympathize with the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 30,000 people have been killed in the war there.

“Remember, when you see those Palestinian marches, even I’m amazed at how many people are in those marches,” Trump said. “And guys like Schumer see that, and for him it’s votes. I think it’s mainly about votes, because he was always pro-Israel. He is now very anti-Israel.”

Mr. Trump was widely criticized for similar comments he made as president, when he repeatedly accused Jewish voters of disloyalty if they voted for Democrats. These comments, and Mr. Trump’s comments on Monday, evoke an anti-Semitic trope that Jews have “dual loyalty” and are often more loyal to Israel than to their own country.