Dana Bash Confronts JD Vance on Trump’s Dinner With Neo-Nazi After Senator Denies Trump is Anti-Semitic
CNN’s Dana Bash jumped on Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH) comments about Donald Trump not being anti-Semitic, in light of some of the former president’s recent remarks about Jewish Americans.
On Sunday’s State of the Union, Bash said, “I want to ask about something that Donald Trump said on social media. He said, ‘What Biden is doing with respect to Israel is disgraceful. If any Jewish person voted for Joe Biden, they should be ashamed of themselves. He’s totally abandoned Israel.’ You tweeted that Donald Trump was right about that. So I just want to be clear; do you think that Jewish people who voted for Joe Biden should be ashamed of themselves?”
VANCE: Do I think it’s reasonable to look at this and say that if you’re a Jewish American who cares about the state of Israel, who cares about these anti-Semitic riots, and say, you should be on the side of Republicans in 2024 because they governed effectively on some of the issues that you care about. I think it’s a totally reasonable argument to make, and I think that Donald Trump’s going to keep on making it.
BASH: Historically, the notion of saying to Jews, you should put Israel first and what happens in Israel first, and not sort of consider them American citizens first, has been used as an anti-Semitic trope. Do you do recognize that there and perhaps that language isn’t exactly on point when you’re talking about something that is very, very, it’s like a tinderbox right now.
VANCE: We have to remember, Donald Trump is very direct here.
BASH: But you said he was right —
VANCE: And he hasn’t singled out Jewish Americans…So, I think the fact that Donald Trump is talking about Jews in that particular context does not mean he doesn’t think the same lessons apply to a whole host American citizens.
BASH: Yeah, ’cause he did say that any Jewish person who voted for Joe Biden should be ashamed of themselves. I want to move on —
VANCE: But, he did make similar comments about a lot of different groups, Dana. I don’t think anybody could lo at the presidency and the conduct of Donald Trump and say, this is a person who’s somehow anti-Semitic. And I think whether you’re Jewish or not, you should be looking at the record of Joe Biden —
BASH: He had dinner with Nick Fuentes, who is an avowed anti-Semite!
VANCE: Dana, you should look at the record of Joe Biden and recognize that whether you’re Jewish or not, his presidency has been a disaster for the American people.
Vance is believed to be on Trump’s short list for his vice presidential running mate.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
