'How can a Jew vote for a Democrat': Trump takes a dig at Kamala Harris while meeting Benjamin Netanyahu

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Former President Donald Trump reiterated his query about how a Jewish person could vote for a Democratic candidate while meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Republican presidential nominee hosted the Jewish state head, who is on an official visit to the United States, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday, July 26.

Trump's comment could be seen as an apparent jibe aimed at his potential Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, who entered the White House race earlier this week after President Joe Biden suspended his re-election bid.

Donald Trump reiterates antagonism to Jewish support for Democrats despite Kamala Harris' husband being a Jew

The former president has often asked this rhetorical question, attempting to pit the American Jews against the Democratic Party, especially since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023. Nevertheless, Trump does not seem to have changed the strategy despite having a new rival whose spouse is a Jew.

"I actually do not know how a person who is Jewish can vote for her, but that is up to them," Trump said to Netanyahu, who sat across the table at Mar-a-Lago, according to The Jerusalem Post. The Israeli prime minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, sat next to the ex-president.

Harris's husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is Jewish, yet Trump chose not to change his attacking strategy.

Furthermore, the MAGA spearhead also slammed the vice president over her remarks against Israel, which she made shortly after meeting Netanyahu. She declared, "I will not be silent," regarding the civilian casualties and humanitarian situation in Gaza, a criticism that caught the Israeli PM off guard.

According to Trump, her remarks were "disrespectful" and "weren't very nice pertaining to Israel."

Trump's frequent attempts to divide Jews from Democrats

There have been multiple occasions when Trump has suggested that Jews supporting the Democratic Party disliked their religion. During a podcast interview with his ex-White House employee, Sebastian Gorka, the ex-president claimed any Jew who voted for Democrats hated their religion and Israel.

"I actually think they hate Israel. I don't think they hate him, I think they hate Israel. And the Democrat Party hates Israel," he said. "Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed."

Trump revamped the claims as the Biden administration faced pressure to call out Isarel's continued bloodshed in Gaza by pushing for an immediate ceasefire.

In May, when his successor threatened to halt weapon supply to the Jewish ally to convince them against the full-scale invasion plan on Rafah, Trump reiterated the same claim. He asserted that any Jew supporting Biden despite the threat to obstruct the arms supply was "hurting your country," adding Biden was "totally gone on the other side now. He's gone — he's dropped Israel."

"If you're Jewish, and you vote for him, I say shame on you," the Republican said at the time.

He redirected the same attack at Harris earlier this week after she snubbed Netanyahu's speech at the US Congress, accusing her of being "totally against the Jewish people."

However, this prompted a backlash on social media platforms, where many reminded Trump that her husband Emhoff was a Jew.