Jewish leaders tell CNN their faith in Biden has faltered in light of antisemitism, Hamas war
U.S. President Joe Biden reacts during a visit to a Waffle House, in Marietta, Georgia, after participating in a presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 28, 2024.
While US President Joe Biden's campaign has regularly reached out to Jewish Democrats, his support among Jewish voters may be dwindling, CNN News suggested last week, attributing his declining popularity to the ongoing war against Hamas and the rise in US antisemitism.
Biden's campaign, which makes a point to regularly host a "Jewish Women for Jew" Zoom call and plans to hire an interfaith director to engage Jewish voters better, was the subject of numerous complaints sent to CNN.
Jewish leaders reportedly privately complained to the site that Biden had failed to engage enough with them directly and that they felt failed by the Democratic Party - some describing their situation as being "politically homeless."
The Jewish leaders charged that Biden had failed to do enough and expressed concerns that he could not control his own party.
“I’ve had a couple of people say point blank, ‘How could any Jew vote for a Democrat?’” said Troy Zukowski, the West Michigan chair of the Michigan Jewish Democrats. “I’m not so concerned about Jews who may vote for Trump. I’m more concerned about those who may vote for third-party spoiler candidates or not vote at all.”
Democratic Party presidential candidate US President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump speak during a presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, US, June 27, 2024 in a combination photo. (credit: REUTERS)
Democratic Party presidential candidate US President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump speak during a presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, US, June 27, 2024 in a combination photo. (credit: REUTERS)
Jewish Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro pointed to several areas of concern, namely the rise and acceptance of antisemitism and the conflation of antisemitism and Israeli government actions. However, Shapiro did not feel concerned that Jews would abandon Biden.
Biden and Trump’s stances on antisemitism
“They’re looking at it less through a political prism and more from a standpoint of survival and being able to live with freedom and dignity in their communities,” he said.
Shapiro pointed to antisemitic subtext in comments made by former US president Donald Trump, claiming his insinuation that Jews may have dual loyalty is "in and of itself ... antisemitic."
“If you go back in the history of the world and look at the leadership of every dictator, from Pharaoh to Hitler to Kim Jong-un, at what point in our history when a dictator has been leading a nation has a minority group done well? Donald Trump will eviscerate the rights of minority groups, including American Jews if he is given the power of the presidency again. History tells us that.”
“Right now, the Democratic Party is in a moment where they have to choose to successfully lead these forces instead of being led by them,” Lee Zeldin, a Jewish former GOP congressman, said. “Every effort to pander to [Palestinian American Congresswoman] Rashida Tlaib and those ‘Abandon Biden’ voters in Michigan has the risk of alienating Jewish voters in the Detroit suburbs.”
Biden has condemned antisemitic incidents in the US, however many have argued that condemnations are not enough.
“If you want pretty tweets, vote for Biden. If you don’t want dead Israelis, vote for Trump,” Morgan Ortagus, a spokesperson for the State Department under Trump, said in a staged debate in Washington in June.
Trump's support among Jewish voters reached a multi-decade record 30% for the Republican Party in 2020, an Associated Press poll found.
Trump's popularity among Jewish Americans now is unknown. However, CNN pointed out his silence on the Gaza hostages and silence on antisemitic incidents as hints that it may not be as high as it once was.