Former President Donald Trump has sought to cast Vice President Kamala Harris as antisemitic by asserting that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was only passed over as the Democrats' presidential running mate because he is Jewish. But in speaking to CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Monday during the first night of the Democratic National Convention, Shapiro stamped that out hard.
Moreover, he lashed out at Trump for trying to use him as a political prop.
"Trump claims that antisemitism played a role in you not ultimately being selected as the vice president," said Collins. "What's your response to that?"
"Donald Trump has absolutely no credibility to speak on that issue," said Shapiro. "He is a person who's acted bigoted, he is a person who spreads hate, and he is a person who routinely divides people in this country. Listen, when folks marched in Charlottesville, and quite literally said with Tiki torches in their hand, 'Jews will not replace us,' what did Donald Trump say? He said, there are good people on both sides."
"I want to be crystal clear about something: antisemitism played absolutely no role in the dialogue I had with the vice president," Shapiro continued, adding that while antisemitism exists in America and among some fringe Democrats, "We need to stand up and speak out against hate in all forms. Antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, any form of hatred and bigotry has no place. And what I want to see from leaders is what Kamala Harris is doing, and what I try and do every day. Speaking and acting with moral clarity. Something that Donald Trump is bankrupt on."
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"He has no moral clarity, and he has absolutely no business opining on this issue, given his track record," Shapiro said.
Shapiro was one of a small handful of finalists for Harris' running mate, with many political strategists hopeful he would lock down the critical swing state of Pennsylvania due to his popularity as governor there. Ultimately, Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, partly because of Walz's charisma and partly because Harris' team had reportedly been concerned Shapiro might upstage her.
