Colorado Politics

Colorado Democratic chair fires back on Trump’s remark on Jewish voters

It doesn’t take much for President Donald Trump to rile up Democrats, but on Tuesday he crossed a line with Colorado’s state party chair.

Trump in the Oval Office told reporters that  Jewish people who vote for Democrats show “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”

The remark was part of the president’s ongoing feud with Democratic U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, both of whom are Muslims who have been critical of Trump and the Jewish state’s treatment of the Palestinians.

The remark didn’t go unchecked by Colorado Democratic State Party chair Morgan Carroll.

“As a Jewish woman, I cannot begin to express the level of anger and disgust I have over President Trump’s disturbingly ignorant remarks,” she said. “Considering that Trump himself is not a Jewish man, it is frankly insulting that he would presume to tell Jewish Americans how we should vote, and to basically call us stupid or ‘disloyal’ if we don’t support his party.”

She turned the remark on Colorado Republicans in an afternoon statement.

“It boggles the mind that Ken Buck, Cory Gardner, and the Colorado Republican Party continue to go to bat for this man,” Carroll stated.

The Republican Jewish Coalition defended Trump, arguing that the president was speaking about people being disloyal to themselves rather than to Israel.

“President Trump is right, it shows a great deal of disloyalty to oneself to defend a party that protects/emboldens people that hate you for your religion,” the group said in a tweet. “The @GOP, when rarely confronted w/anti-Semitism of elected members always acts swiftly and decisively to punish and remove.”

According to AP VoteCast, a survey of the 2018 electorate, 72% of Jewish voters supported Democratic House candidates in 2018. Similarly, 74% said they disapprove of how Trump is handling his job.

The Associated Press contributed.

Morgan Carroll talks with delegates at the Adams County Democratic Assembly in Denver in 2016. Carroll, at the time, was challenging then-U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, when he was his last term. (Photo by Ernest Luning/The Colorado Statesman)
Tags

PREV

PREVIOUS

Denver's ethics director asks for audit before upcoming retirement

Outgoing Denver ethics director Michael Henry is leaving the city with a request: Assess the shortcomings of the program he’s run for nearly two decades.  Henry, who is to retire early next month, has asked the Denver Auditor’s Office to complete a probe and make recommendations for improvements to the city’s ethics code, which he […]

NEXT

NEXT UP

Denver expected to seek short-term halfway-house contracts

Denver city officials plan to pursue short-term halfway-house contracts with two private prison corporations while looking for alternatives to corrections services that unexpectedly ended. The city will ask the Denver City Council to approve a six-month contract with GEO Group and a yearlong contract with CoreCivic. The Denver Post reports new deals are being sought […]


Welcome Back.

Streak: 9 days i

Stories you've missed since your last login:

Stories you've saved for later:

Recommended stories based on your interests:

Edit my interests