Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie defended his sentiment that former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric encourages antisemitism and Islamophobia.
“When you show intolerance towards everyone, which is what he does, you give permission as a leader for others to have their intolerance come out,” Mr. Christie said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. “Intolerance towards anyone encourages intolerance towards everyone.”
The former New Jersey governor, who constantly criticizes his former boss, said such hate has “been going on for quite some time, not just with Donald Trump, but with university professors on some of our most elite campuses in this country, with university administrators and presidents who have been unwilling to stand up against antisemitism on their campuses.”
He continued, “There should be no campus in this country where a Jewish student is afraid to leave their dorm, a Jewish student is afraid to go to their classes, a Jewish student is afraid to go to even have a meal in the dining hall. I mean, that is outrageous, and it’s wrong.”
Mr. Christie has ripped Mr. Trump for his language before. In October, he called the former president a “fool” for calling the terrorist group Hezbollah “smart.”
“He’s a fool. Only a fool would make those kinds of comments,” Mr. Christie said in an interview with CNN. “Only a fool would give comments that could give aid and comfort to Israel’s adversary.”
Last month, he warned that Mr. Trump’s rhetoric could incite others after the former president told a crowd in New Hampshire that he would “root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections.”
The comment drew fire from Mr. Christie, who said, “Well, I think that what he’s done with his use of language is to give permission to a lot of people who then believe they can take it even further. And they can actionize the things that he’s saying, weaponize the things that he’s saying. And most people won’t use that type of language because they know there’s a risk of that.”
Mr. Trump, whose daughter Ivanka’s family is Jewish, has boasted he’s done a lot for the Jewish people. On the last day of Rosh Hashanah in September, he posted on his Truth Social platform a criticism of “liberal Jews who voted to destroy America & Israel,” instructing them to “make better choices moving forward.”
The post also outlined all of the pro-Israel initiatives he took while he was president, including moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
“Wake Up Sheep,” Mr. Trump wrote atop his list of initiatives. “What Nazi/ Anti Semite ever did this for Jewish people or Israel?”
Source:Washington Times
