Christie says Trump’s ‘intolerant language and conduct’ contribute to rise in antisemitism

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie on Sunday said former President Trump’s “intolerant” language contributed to widespread intolerance, including the recent rise in antisemitism in the United States.

“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,” Christie said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, referring to Trump.

“So intolerance towards anyone encourages intolerance towards everyone. And that’s exactly what’s going on here,” he said.

He added that this concern extends beyond the former president to other leaders.

“And that’s 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 most particularly,” he added.

Since Hamas launched the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel’s southern border, a surge in antisemitism and Islamophobia has emerged throughout the country.

In the two weeks following the initial attack, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a group dedicated to fighting hate and antisemitism, documented a 388 percent increase in antisemitic incidents compared with the same time period the year before.

One area that has seen such a rise is on college campuses across the U.S., where reports of antisemitism have also spiked. In just one example, the building hosting Cornell University’s kosher dining hall had to shut down temporarily following vile death threats posted online by a fellow student against members of the community.

“[T]here 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,” Christie said, referring to what’s been happening on college campuses since the war began on Oct. 7.

“And so, in the end, look, I think that there have been a lot of people who contributed to it, and I believe Donald Trump’s intolerant language and his intolerant conduct gives others permission to act the same,” he added.