NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Donald Trump is accusing Joe Biden of offering a weak response to antisemitism, wielding the clashes on colleges campuses over the war in Gaza as a campaign issue. But Trump's attacks ignore his own long history of rhetoric that invokes the language of Nazi Germany and plays on stereotypes of Jews and politics.
The latest example came over the weekend, when Trump 鈥 accusing the White House of having a role in his multiple state and federal criminal prosecutions 鈥 told Republican donors gathered for a private retreat at his Florida resort that Biden is running referring to the secret police force of Nazi Germany.
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, called it a 鈥渄eliberate tactic鈥 to attack Biden and distract from his own track record.
鈥淚t鈥檚 wholly aligned with his long history of offensive and irresponsible comments when it comes to the Jewish community, including the normalization of antisemitism,鈥 Spitalnick said.
Biden鈥檚 campaign called it 鈥渄espicable鈥 and an attack on law enforcement.
Trump鈥檚 attempts to claim a moral high ground against antisemitism come as the intense divisions of the and the . Trump and other Republicans have seized on the disruptions on college campuses, which have at times been violent, as a sign of weakness from Biden and Democrats. It鈥檚 also the latest example of Trump鈥檚 timeworn tactic of repackaging a censure he鈥檚 received and stamping it on his opponents.
As pro-Palestinian demonstrations have broken out at college campuses, some people have reported antisemitic chants and messages at and around the protests and some Jewish students have said they have felt unsafe on campus. Trump鈥檚 campaign on Monday released a video on Yom Hashoah, Israel鈥檚 Holocaust remembrance day, that aimed to contrast the 2024 presidential candidates鈥 responses on antisemitism.
The video shows images of Trump visiting Israel and speeches he has given pledging to stand with Jewish people and confront antisemitism, while showing footage of the protests on campuses and clips of Biden responding to protesters upset with his administration鈥檚 support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
One of the clips shows Biden saying, 鈥淭hey have a point,鈥 but does not include the next sentence in which Biden said, 鈥淲e need to get a lot more care into Gaza.鈥
Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for Trump's campaign, criticized Biden for taking 鈥渨eeks to even talk about the Biden Campus Protests鈥 and not condemning what she described as 鈥減ro-Hamas, pro-genocide mobs,鈥 saying 鈥渢he sad truth is that he needs their votes.鈥
鈥淛ewish Americans and Jewish leaders around the world recognize that President Trump did more for them and the State of Israel than any President in history," Leavitt also said Monday.
Trump also spoke about the protests as he arrived in court Monday in a felony hush money case. Noting Columbia University has ceremony following weeks of pro-Palestinian protests, Trump said 鈥渢hat shouldn't happen.鈥 He also claimed that many protesters were backed by Biden donors.
鈥淥k, are you listening Israel? I hope you鈥檙e listening, Israel. Hope you鈥檙e getting smart," Trump said.
Biden has said he condemns 鈥渢he antisemitic protests鈥 and last week, he broke days of silence and called for 鈥渙rder鈥 after some schools cleared demonstrators by force, leading to clashes.
James Singer, a spokesperson for Biden鈥檚 campaign, said Biden stands against antisemitism but Trump does not.
鈥淭rump has praised neo-Nazis, dined with neo-Nazis, echoed the rhetoric of neo-Nazis, and reportedly praised the accomplishments of Adolf Hitler,鈥 Singer said in a statement. 鈥淗e cannot lead us, so he seeks to divide us with the oldest of ideas 鈥 hate, anger, revenge, and retribution.鈥
After white nationalists chanting 鈥淛ews will not replace us!鈥 rallied and clashed with anti-racism protesters, Trump drew some of his fiercest backlash as president when he said that there 鈥 鈥
Trump last week downplayed Charlottesville, saying the deadly rally ongoing pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Not long after launching his third White House campaign in 2022, Trump drew widespread condemnation formerly known as Kanye West, shortly after he made weeks of antisemitic comments.
He鈥檚 drawn criticism on his third White House campaign for to argue that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally are 鈥減oisoning the blood of our country,鈥 and labeled his opponents as 鈥渧ermin.鈥
Trump has also been accused of promoting antisemitic tropes as he鈥檚 hate Israel鈥 and hate 鈥渢heir religion鈥 are 鈥渧ery disloyal to Israel.鈥 Critics have said the comments evoke the drop of dual loyalty, accusing Jews of being more loyal to their religion than their country.
After Trump's reference to 鈥淕estapo鈥 over the weekend, Jonathan Sarna, an American Jewish history professor at Brandeis University, said there are 鈥済reat dangers鈥 in the Nazi comparisons.
鈥淣ot only it鈥檚 historically incorrect, it鈥檚 morally offensive,鈥 Sarna said. 鈥淭he problem is looking to associate whatever you don鈥檛 like with the most evil forces, ignoring all the crucial differences. At that point, we forget what the Holocaust really was.鈥
___
Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
