Trump maintains Jewish Democrat voters 'disloyal'

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump continued to maintain Wednesday that Jewish-Americans who vote for Democratic candidates are "disloyal," remarks that have received major criticism from the community.

"If you want to vote Democrat you are being very disloyal to Jewish people and Israel," Trump said in remarks to reporters at the White House after saying Tuesday that Jews who vote Democrat are guilty of "either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty."

The comments sparked a wave of outrage from U.S. Jewish group who contend they smack of anti-Semitic tropes of "dual loyalty."

"It’s unclear who @POTUS is claiming Jews would be 'disloyal' to, but charges of disloyalty have long been used to attack Jews," Anti-Defamation League leader Jonathan Greenblatt wrote on Twitter. "As we’ve said before, it's possible to engage in the democratic process w/o these claims. It's long overdue to stop using Jews as a political football."

The Jewish Democratic Council of America, an organization representing progressive Jewish Americans, said Trump's remarks are "dangerous" and "textbook anti-Semitism."

Trump denied on Wednesday the remarks are anti-Semitic.

The president tweeted quoted remarks from a conservative radio host in which Trump is likened to the "King of Israel" and the "second coming of God."