Trump: Voting Democrat is being 'disloyal to Jewish people'

(JNS)—U.S. President Donald Trump clarified remarks made about how Jewish voters could support the Democratic Party knowing the anti-Israel bias among certain congressional members, such as Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

“If you vote for a Democrat, you’re being disloyal to Jewish people, and you’re being very disloyal to Israel,” the president told reporters on Wednesday.

In remarks in the Oval Office on Tuesday following his meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Trump said, “Any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat—I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”

His comments evoked immediate opposition from Jewish and pro-Israel groups, who conflated the “dual-loyalty” canard; the Republican Jewish Coalition defended the president.

The president said he was not referring to loyalty to the United States.