NYC Mayor Bashes Trump for Jewish Comments

New York City Mayor (and former Park Sloper) Bill De Blasio came out swinging against presidential hopeful Donald Trump over the weekend, calling him today’s George Wallace or Joe McCarthy.

While De Blasio didn’t explicitly name Trump as an anti-Semite, that was the basic takeaway from a fuming statement he released to the media after Trump’s Thursday comments to the Republican Jewish Coalition.

“I’m a negotiator — like you folks,” Trump had reportedly said to his conservative Jewish audience. He asked: “Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals? Probably more than any room I’ve ever spoken.” Trump also made some controversial comments on Israel, saying he wasn’t sure if Israel was a willing partner for peace negotiations with Palestine.

Below, De Blasio’s response, in full.

“As the New York Times makes clear today in a front page article, Donald Trump will go down as one of the worst demagogues in recent U.S. political history. His latest comments last week to a mostly Jewish audience are an example. Based on hateful stereotypes of the Jewish community, they simply have no place in our society. As with other shameful outbursts he has had about many ethnic groups, they are nothing short of dangerous. Others, including myself, have spoken out when political leaders in Europe have not risen to the defense of their embattled Jewish communities. It is equally important to call out American leaders who traffic in age-old negative characterizations of Jews. We should demand from our presidential candidates a standard that in no way echoes the voice of a George Wallace or Joe McCarthy.”