Tipsheet

KJP Does NOT Spark Confidence That Biden Administration Is Worried About Rise in Anti-Semitism

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 23, 2023 8:00 PM

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre took to the podium on Monday for a press conference, during which she was undoubtedly asked about the rise in anti-semitism in this country in the wake of Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel earlier this month. Her answers mostly certainly left something to be desired.

This not only includes Jean-Pierre discussing Muslims and Islamophobia when asked about rise in anti-semitism, as Spencer covered earlier, but her response on how young people, including and especially on college campuses, exhibit not only anti-Israel behavior, but anti-semitic and even pro-Hamas sentiments. Our own John Hasson has covered such anti-semitic behavior at length, including when it comes to Columbia, Harvard, and the University of Virginia.

"I know John Kirby addressed the protests on college campuses, and I appreciate that the President respects First Amendment rights to protest, but does the President view anti-Israel protests and sentiment on college campuses as antisemitism," asked Fox Business News' Grady Thimble.

To begin her response, the press secretary offered "I’m not going to get into what’s happening across the country in--at different universities," stressing "I’m not going to get into the specifics." 

When he had been asked about protests in the press briefing, NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby
focused on the First Amendment rights of the protesters, which Jean-Pierre also reiterated throughout her own non-answer.

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"I’m not going to get into any, you know, specifics on that," Jean-Pierre continued to stress. "The president has been very clear in wanting to make sure that Jewish Americans, wanting to make sure that Arab Americans, Muslims are protected here. That is what he believes in--that we-- they have the right to live their lives and to feel protection and to feel like they’re able to be part of a community. The president has been very, very clear on denouncing any type of violence," she offered, providing yet another example in which this White House has tied anti-semitism and Islamophobia together.

The response was enough for one X user to point out that the Biden administration is communicating "we actually don't care."

Trimble continued to push back, noting "the president himself said 'silence is complicity.' So, if there’s antisemitic letters being sent by students or protests, sentiment at protests," he said, with Jean-Pierre jumping in to provide yet another answer that tied in anti-semitism and Islamophobia, adding "of course" no less than four times in this one response.

"Of course--of course, the president doesn’t--is--is against antisemitism," she stumbled out. "Of course. This is a president that you have heard me say is parti--wants to protect communities, whether it’s the Jewish community, the Arab American pre--community, the Palestinian community.  This is someone who is going to speak out against antisemitism.  Of course," she insisted. As she continued with her response, it was actually Jean-Pierre who accused Trimble of "kind of conflating the two."

As the back-and-forth continued further, Trimble poined out that "you'll hear anti-semitic comments" leveling all sorts of accusations against Israel, including when it comes to claims the country is engaging in genocide. 

Jean-Pierre tried to assure Trimble "I hear you" and that "we're always going to denounce anti-semitism," while still sticking by the right to protest.

"But we, in this administration, are going to always denounce antisemitism, any form of hate--any form of hate.  Whether it’s against the Jewish community--right?--anti-semitism, against the Muslim community, Arab American community, or the Palestin--we are going to denounce any form of hate that comes towards those communities," she continued to claim.

"As it relates to protests — peaceful protests, people have the right to do that.  But this is an administration, obviously, obviously, that’s going to be very forceful and very clear about denouncing antisemitism," she offered before moving on.

The next question came from RealClearPolitics' Philip Wegmann, who pointed to a recent poll from Harvard/Harris X, one of the several polls pointing to support for Israel. Polls have shown that Americans support Israel, though young people tend to be lacking compared to other demographics when it comes to support. 

"Is there anything in particular that the administration is planning to do to take this argument to those college students or the--those younger generations who seem to be open to the idea that there are two sides to this thing," Wegmann asked. 

Not surprisingly, Jean-Pierre had nothing to offer. "I don’t have anything to lay out on any specific conversations or outreach that the President is going to do to students," she answered. "As you know, we have an Office of Public Engagement here.  We have other offices here at the White House that is constantly engaging with--with communities, incu--including the young community.  I just don’t have anything specifics to your question on the president’s schedule to do that."

Jean-Pierre moved on before Wegmann could ask his follow-up question.

Overall, Democrats haven't exacly been willing to condemn such anti-semitic behavior on college campuses. Last week, the Senate passed a resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas, but Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) objected to Sen. Josh Hawley's (R-MO) resolution condemning such student behavior, arguing that they might have "legitimate" grievances.

These concerning responses from Jean-Pierre also come as the Biden adminisration, including the president himself, have offered an increasing amount of problematic responses on Israel.  

During his Sunday appearance on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered host Kristen Welker a sort of non-answer when asked "does the U.S. want Israel to wait on its ground operation until more hostages can be freed?"

"We are not in the business of second guessing what they're doing. We are talking to them on a regular basis about how they do it. It's vitally important that every measure be taken to protect civilians, that humanitarian assistance gets in to people who are caught in this cross fire of Hamas' making. And of course both of us want to make sure that the many hostages," he offered in part.

From his official X account on Sunday, Biden offered a sort of lecture on "how Israel must operate by the laws of war," also doubling down on aid being sent to Gaza as well as commitment to a two-state solution.