Aug 21, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Sanders fires back at Trump over Jewish "disloyalty" remarks

Rebecca Falconer

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum on August 20, 2019 in Sioux City, Iowa. — Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa Tuesday. Photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to President Trump questioning the loyalty of Jewish Americans who support the Democratic Party by tweeting Tuesday that he's a "proud Jewish person" with no concerns about voting Democrat.

I intend to vote for a Jewish man to become the next president of the United States."

— Sanders tweet

Why it matters: As CNN notes, the presidential candidate has increasingly referred to his family's experience of the Holocaust this year, as he frames a broader argument that Trump's rhetoric is stoking white supremacy in the U.S. And he's spoken of his father's experience as a Polish immigrant in America, as Trump moves to restrict immigration.

That's in contrast to his 2016 campaign, when Sanders became the first Jewish candidate to win a major-party presidential primary but rarely spoke about his background, per the progressive, secular outlet Jewish Currents.

Go deeper: Bernie Sanders: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate

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Sanders fires back at Trump over Jewish "disloyalty" remarks

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