Donald Trump claims during Pa. rally that Josh Shapiro lost out on VP slot because he’s Jewish

Former President Donald J. Trump claimed Saturday in Wilkes-Barre that Vice President Kamala Harris rejected Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate because he is Jewish.

”They turned him down because he’s Jewish,” Trump said during a rambling speech at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre.

The idea that Shapiro was snubbed for his Jewish faith has emerged as a popular talking point for Trump and his allies in the days since Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Shapiro’s full-throated support for Israel in its war against Hamas came under scrutiny from progressive activists ahead of the decision.

Shapiro has rejected the notion that antisemitism played any role in Harris’ decision. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. “I can tell you that antisemitism had no impact on the dialogue between the vice president and me, period,” Shapiro said earlier this month after Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance, pushed the idea in Philadelphia.

Trump repeated the claim in Wilkes-Barre. He also invoked the Holocaust and claimed that Jewish Americans are facing the greatest level of threats since World War II.

“Any Jewish person that votes for her or a Democrat has to go out and have their head examined,” Trump said during his rally in Pennsylvania.

“If you see what’s happening with Israel and Jewish people, there has never been a more dangerous time since the Holocaust if you happen to be Jewish in America,” he continued. “They turned him down for other reasons, but the primary reason is because he’s Jewish.”

Harris’ campaign strongly rebutted Trump’s comments in a Sunday statement, which also noted Trump’s history of engaging with antisemetic tropes.

“Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz have decisively called out antisemitism in any form their entire careers, and our campaign will always be clear: Antisemitism and hate have no place in the Democratic Party or in our country. Gov. Shapiro is a tireless and extremely effective champion for the people of Pennsylvania, and our campaign strongly rejects the attacks, rooted in his faith, that he has endured,” said Harris campaign spokesperson Charles Lutvak.

“But let’s be clear: There is one candidate in this race who consistently denigrates American Jews, elevates Neo-Nazis, and trafficks in antisemitic tropes, and it is Donald Trump.”

This story has been updated with a comment from the Harris campaign.