At a rally in Georgia on Tuesday night, former President Donald Trump said that Black and Latino Americans who support Kamala Harris instead of him need to have their “head examined,” repeating a comment that the Republican nominee has repeatedly used to denigrate Jewish people who vote for Democrats.
“Any African American or Hispanic, and you know how well I’m doing there, that votes for Kamala, you gotta have your head examined. Because they are really screwing you,” Trump said in Atlanta on Tuesday night. "They are really screwing you.”
Trump’s comment comes as he works to make inroads with both groups that have typically supported Democrats in an effort to cut into Harris’ margins.
A recent New York Times-Siena College poll found that 78% of Black voters support Democrats compared to just 15% for Republicans, an overwhelming majority but down from estimated voting totals in 2020. The survey also found that 56% of Latinos back Democrats while 37% support the GOP, similar margins to 2020 estimates (62-36) but notably down from the estimated 68% support the bloc gave Democrats in 2016.
Harris’ campaign condemned Trump’s comments as “divisive rhetoric” and continued needling him to release his medical records to the public.
“If Donald Trump thinks insulting Black and Latino voters is the key to earning their respect and their votes, it’s him who should have his head examined – and he should man up and release his medical records so that voters can understand what exactly is going on with comments like this,” said Harris spokesperson Sarafina Chitika.
"And he shouldn’t stop there: If he believes in his message, he should stop hiding in his safe space and take his divisive rhetoric directly to Black media,” Chitika continued, referencing Harris’ interview Tuesday with “The Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne Tha God and her upcoming sit-down with Fox News later Wednesday as evidence she’s working to “every vote and talk to every single voter.”
“Trump should do the same if he has the stamina to keep up,” she added.
For years, Trump has sought to appeal to Jewish voters by lashing out at those who do not support him and aired his frustrations that American Jews are not sufficiently supportive for his liking.
"I think Jewish people that vote for a Democrat — I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty," Trump said in 2019.
As Jews celebrated the high holiday of Rosh Hashana last year, Trump shared a post on his social media platform accusing "liberal Jews” who did not support him in 2020 of voting “to destroy America and Israel.”
“Let’s hope you learned from your mistake & make better choices moving forward! Happy New Year!” the post read.
This year, Trump has said multiple times that Jewish voters who back Democrats “should have their head examined,” as well as charging they “hate Israel” and hate “their religion.” He’s also charged that Vice President Harris, who is married to a Jewish man, “doesn’t like Jewish people,” and said last month at an event aimed at combatting antisemitism that if he doesn’t win in November, “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss.”