Former president Donald Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday morning for passing over Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate “because of the fact that he’s Jewish,” suggesting she caved to pressure from far-left Democrats and anti-Israel activists.
The Republican nominee’s comments come a day after Harris chose progressive Minnesota governor Tim Walz to join her on the presidential ticket. The move has since been met with backlash from Republicans, who believe it was meant to placate the anti-Israel faction within the Democratic Party.
Shapiro was one of the top two choices to be Harris’s vice-presidential nominee, the other contender being Walz. “Everyone thought it was going to be Shapiro. It turned out not to be Shapiro,” Trump told Fox News in a phone interview.
The former president said he was confident that Shapiro was snubbed because he’s Jewish and Democrats are too concerned about who “they’re going to offend.” He cast the Harris-Walz ticket as the “worst team ever assembled” for Jewish people or Israel.
“You wouldn’t feel very comfortable if you’re in Israel right now with this team,” Trump said. “This is a team that will not be there, and I think I’m going to get a tremendous amount of Jewish votes.”
Broadcast during the Fox & Friends interview, a recent Siena College poll showed likely Jewish voters in New York preferring Trump over Harris by one point, within the survey’s margin of error. Nonetheless, Trump believes his narrow lead among that demographic could make a “big difference” in November.
“I think that any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat . . . should have their head examined,” he said earlier in the interview.
As governor, Walz failed to stop the George Floyd riots in 2020 that raged across his state, especially in Minneapolis, and backed legislation that would give Minnesota a “sanctuary state” status. Republicans hope to capitalize on Walz’s progressive record leading up to the presidential election.
“Kamala Harris did not pick Josh Shapiro because antisemitic progressives did not like that he is Jewish. It was Harris’ first major decision as the nominee and she caved to the pro-Hamas contingency within the Democratic Party,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Mike Berg.
“Tim Walz reinforces Kamala Harris’ biggest weaknesses: crime and immigration. Kamala Harris helped bankroll the 2020 riots in Minnesota when she promoted the Minnesota Freedom Fund — Walz let Minnesota burn. Kamala Harris supported decriminalizing illegal immigration and abolishing ICE — Walz supported making Minnesota a sanctuary state.”
A source familiar with the Trump campaign’s line of attack told National Review Tuesday morning that “Hamas Harris” had “bent the knee” to the most antisemitic, anti-Israel voices in the Democratic Party by choosing Walz as her running mate.
“Instead of picking the candidate with charisma and a moderate record, Kamala caved to the Hamas caucus and picked a charisma black hole with a long record of supporting extreme liberal policies and a history of being close to China,” added another source close to the Trump campaign. “Walz is Tim Kaine all over again, he adds nothing to the ticket.”
A Harris campaign spokesperson denied that Shapiro was passed over due to criticism of his pro-Israel stance from progressives and activists, calling the claims “absurd” and “absolutely ridiculous and offensive.”
“Josh Shapiro is a fantastic leader and he was almost chosen,” the anonymous aide told the Forward, a Jewish outlet. “And Tim Walz, throughout his career, has been incredibly strong in his commitment to the protection of Israel.”
Despite the Harris campaign’s statement, anti-Israel activists were enthusiastic about Walz’s selection.
“The choice of Walz over Shapiro cannot be divorced from the enormous momentum the Palestinian rights movement has built here in the U.S.,” said Ahmad Abuznaid, executive director of U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action.
Meanwhile, Shapiro said Harris “has my enthusiastic support” and hailed Walz as an “exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward.”