Aug 21, 2019 - Politics & Policy

Sanders fires back at Trump over Jewish "disloyalty" remarks

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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