Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump has commented on Vice President Kamala Harris’s decision not to choose Josh Shapiro as her running mate.
Trump claimed that Harris did not select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate because he is Jewish. While Shapiro was considered the frontrunner, Harris ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz instead.
“Everyone thought it was going to be Shapiro, it turned out not to be Shapiro,” Trump stated on Fox News on Wednesday. “I have very little doubt that it was not for the reason we’re talking about. It was because of the fact that he’s Jewish and they think they’re going to offend somebody else.”
“I think there were other people better than him, I know them all. But I was shocked when it came to the final two and she didn’t pick Shapiro,” he added.
The ‘progressive’ faction of the Democrats had expressed opposition to Shapiro, citing his support for Israel and criticism of pro-Palestinian student protests across the US. Some critics labeled him “Genocide Josh” – echoing the “Genocide Joe” moniker given to President Biden – while others raised concerns about a potential Harris-Shapiro ticket attracting Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian-American voters in key swing states.
“You wouldn’t feel very comfortable if you’re Israel right now with this team,” Trump told Fox News. “This is the worst team ever assembled for a Jewish person or for Israel.”
“They are so bad to Jewish people – what they’ve done and the way they talk and their policy and everything else,” he added.
During his presidency from 2017 to 2021, Trump openly supported Israel, recognizing its annexation of the occupied Golan Heights and relocating the US embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem, among other actions. He has that any Jews who vote for Democrats “should have their head examined.” In the 2020 election, however, an estimated 70% of American Jews voted for Biden.
The Biden-Harris White House has provided weapons and ammunition to Israel while simultaneously calling for a ceasefire and negotiations with Hamas, a demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected.