Former President Donald Trump faced significant backlash from Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign and Jewish advocacy groups for his recent comments alluding to Jewish voters being responsible if he lost the presidential election. Trump made the controversial remarks at an event in Washington, implying that Jewish voters were not properly supporting him. The comments were labeled as "dangerous" and "antisemitic" by his critics, who condemned his use of age-old antisemitic stereotypes.

Vice President Harris' campaign spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein lashed out at Trump, accusing him of resorting to classic antisemitic tropes out of weakness and fear of rejection in the upcoming election. Finkelstein emphasized the potential consequences of Trump's divisive words and highlighted his history of fearmongering and intimidation. The outrage extended to various Jewish advocacy groups, including the American Jewish Committee, which denounced the attempt to scapegoat Jewish voters for election outcomes as not only outrageous but also perilous, given the historical implications of such rhetoric.

Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff, a Jewish American himself, condemned Trump's comments as another instance of fanning the flames of antisemitism. Emhoff emphasized the need to reject such scapegoating and intimidation tactics, affirming that Jewish Americans would not be cowed by Trump's divisive rhetoric. Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblat criticized Trump for contradicting the supposed purpose of the event on combating antisemitism, warning that the comments could exacerbate hostility towards Jewish Americans. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs also urged more people to speak out against Trump's remarks, framing it as a matter of fundamental Jewish safety rather than partisan politics.

Despite the criticism, Trump found support from the Republican Jewish Coalition, which commended his efforts in combating antisemitism. The organization's CEO, Matt Brooks, defended Trump's comments as an attempt to motivate the Jewish community and dismissed Democratic claims as a deflection. Brooks highlighted the importance of the Jewish vote in battleground states for the election's outcome, suggesting that Trump's remarks aimed to emphasize the significance of Jewish support in the closely contested race.