Trump Claims Harris Rejected Josh Shapiro Because He Was Jewish

Former President Donald J. Trump claimed Saturday in Wilkes-Barre that Vice President Kamala Harris rejected Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her vice presidential running mate because he is Jewish.

“They rejected him because he’s a Jew,” Trump said during a rambling speech at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre.

The idea that Shapiro was being snubbed for his Jewish faith has become a common talking point for Trump and his allies in the days since Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Shapiro’s outspoken support for Israel in its war on Hamas had drawn criticism from progressive activists ahead of the decision.

Shapiro dismissed the notion that anti-Semitism played any role in Harris’ decision. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. “I can tell you that anti-Semitism had no impact on the dialogue between the vice president and me, period,” Shapiro said last week after Trump’s vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance, pushed the idea in Philadelphia.

Trump repeated that claim in Wilkes-Barre. He also invoked the Holocaust and said Jewish Americans face the greatest level of threats since World War II.

“Any Jew who votes for her or a Democrat needs to go and get their head examined,” Trump said during his rally in Pennsylvania.

“If you look at what’s happening with Israel and the Jews, there’s never been a more dangerous time since the Holocaust to be a Jew in America,” he continued. “They rejected him for other reasons, but the main reason is that he’s a Jew.”