Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks on Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 21, 2024.
Mike Segar | Reuters
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday accused Donald Trump of peddling antisemitism after the Republican presidential nominee called him a “highly overrated Jewish Governor.”
“I think it’s clear over the last few years, Donald Trump is obsessed with me and obsessed with continuing to spew hate and division in our politics,” Shapiro told reporters in response to a broadside Trump posted on Truth Social overnight.
“He’s someone who has routinely peddled antisemitic tropes like this,” said Shapiro, a Democrat who leads what is arguably the most competitive swing state in the presidential contest.
Trump’s post, sent after midnight Thursday, attacked the governor for supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’ White House bid even though, Trump claims, she “hates Israel.”
“The highly overrated Jewish Governor of the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, made a really bad and poorly delivered speech [at the Democratic National Convention] talking about freedom and fighting for Comrade Kamala Harris for President,” he said.
Trump falsely accused Harris of hoping that Israel “will fail” and claimed he is “the best friend that Israel, and the Jewish people, ever had.”
“Shapiro has done nothing for Israel, and never will,” Trump added.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro visit the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13, 2024.
Kevin Mohatt | Reuters
The White House on Thursday morning blasted Trump over the post.
“It is Antisemitic, dangerous, and hurtful to attack a fellow American by calling out their Jewish faith in a derogatory way, or perpetuating the centuries-old smear of ‘dual loyalty,'” White House spokesman Herbie Ziskend said in a statement.
“President [Joe] Biden and Vice President Harris believe we must come together as Americans to condemn and combat Antisemitism – and hate and bigotry of all kinds,” Ziskend said.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded that Trump’s critics “simply don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“Kamala Harris talks out of both sides of her mouth to appease Hamas sympathizers while Democrats have emboldened antisemitic protests on college campuses,” Cheung said in a statement.
Cheung also reiterated Trump’s support for Israel and highlighted his administration’s accomplishments in the Middle East. Those include helping to broker a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Arab states, moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and killing Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Trump’s post.
Beyond the accusations of bigotry, Trump’s post drew critiques as a political error that could push away key voters in a must-win swing state.
“If Trump’s intention was to alienate every possible gettable Jewish voter who has been disillusioned by Dems but still unsure if they could vote for him, this was an A+ post,” wrote Philip Klein, editor of the conservative National Review Online, on X.
Shapiro, a Democratic rising star, has consistently received high approval ratings as governor. He had even been eyed as a top contender to be Harris’ running mate. Harris ultimately selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her VP pick.
Trump has claimed on the campaign trail that Harris, who is married to a Jewish man, “doesn’t like Jewish people.”
He previously said that any Jewish person who supports then-presidential candidate Biden “does not love Israel and, frankly, should be spoken to.”
Trump has also repeatedly claimed that the deadly attacks in Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7 would not have happened if he was president at the time.
Shapiro in his response Thursday morning said his speech at the DNC encapsulated the “polar opposite of what Donald Trump is talking about.”
“I’m talking about real freedom, bringing people together, accepting folks no matter what they look like, where they come from, who they love, who they pray to and saying this is a place for you,” he said.
“That’s diametrically opposed to everything Donald Trump believes, and it’s clear that he’s going to continue to be the hateful, divisive person that he’s always been in this campaign.”
“And I think given his track record, it’s clear he’s setting himself up for another defeat,” he added.
