(Headline USA) Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie claimed former President Donald Trump is to blame for rising anti-Semitism and “Islamophobia” in the U.S., saying Trump has an “intolerance of everybody.”
Christie made the comments during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, who asked him about a New York Times article on rising anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim sentiment in the country. In the article, Christie said Trump’s “hateful” rhetoric was “what’s contributed to” the surging hatefulness.
“I don’t think Trump’s an antisemite,” Christie said in the article. But Trump has led “bigots” to believe that “you’re giving them permission to be a bigot,” he added, “and that’s even worse than them thinking you are one.”
When asked to explain what he meant, Christie told CNN, “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… Intolerance towards anyone encourages intolerance towards everyone. And that’s exactly what’s going on here.”
Christie went on to claim that Trump has helped create a political atmosphere in which people feel free to openly express “bigotry.”
“I think that there have been a lot of people who contributed to it,” he said, “and I believe Donald Trump’s intolerant language and his intolerant conduct gives others permission to act the same.”
The former New Jersey governor also blasted leftist activists on college campuses who have made threats against Jewish students and engaged in anti-Semitic displays during pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Christie was asked during a different interview with ABC News this weekend about his campaign for the GOP nomination and whether he believed Trump would concede in the 2024 election if he became the GOP nominee and lost again.
“No one will expect him to concede. He hasn’t conceded the 2020 election. Who cares?” Christie told host Jonathan Karl, predicting that Trump would “lose primaries this time as well.”
