White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre sparked controversy on social media after responding to a question about concerns of rising antisemitism amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas by talking about Islamophobia instead.
A reporter asked Jean-Pierre during a press briefing on Monday, “What is [US President Joe Biden's] level of concern right now about the potential rise of antisemitism in light of everything that’s going on in Israel?”
To be clear: the President and our team are very concerned about a rise in antisemitism, especially after the horrific Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. https://t.co/oMeFDmZK66
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) October 23, 2023
The press secretary responded by stating, “Look, we have not seen any credible threats. I know there’s been, always, questions about credible threats. And so, just want to make sure that that’s out there. But, look, Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks.”
Jean-Pierre stressed that Biden “understands that many of our Muslim, Arab Americans and Palestinian American loved ones and neighbors are worried about the hate being directed at their communities.”
The press secretary added that the president has directed the Homeland Security team to “prioritize prevention and disruption of any emerging threats that could harm the Jewish, the Muslim, Arab Americans or any other communities.”
Jean-Pierre was also asked about anti-Israel protests taking place on college campuses across the US, with a reporter asking “does the president view anti-Israel protests and sentiment on college campuses as antisemitism?”
The press secretary responded “I’m not going to get into what’s happening across the country at different universities. I’m not going to get into the specifics.”
“A peaceful protest is really part of our democracy, for folks to be able to express their feelings," she said. "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. The president has been very, very clear on denouncing any type of violence. And so, as it relates to peaceful protesting, people have the right to do that. But we’re just not going to get into blow-by-blows of what’s going on across the country.”
When the reporter quoted Biden’s comments that “silence is complicity” and noted that antisemitic letters were being published as part of some of these protests, Jean-Pierre stressed that “the president is against antisemitism. Of course. This is a president that you have heard me say wants to protect communities, whether it’s the Jewish community, the Arab American community, [or] the Palestinian community. This is someone who is going to speak out against antisemitism.”
Social media erupts over press secretary's handling of antisemitism questions
The White House press secretary’s handling of questions concerning antisemitism sparked outrage, with some social media users expressing concern that she had “pivoted” from the question to other issues.
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the director of Global Social Action at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, called on Jean-Pierre to address rising antisemitism in the US, saying “At a time of soaring antisemitism and hate taking place on both sides of the Atlantic, and as Jews around the world are in deep mourning over the mass murder of innocent Jews by Hamas terrorists, we urge Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to address the question she was asked regarding the rise of antisemitism.”
Cooper offered to send the press secretary statistics concerning the rise in antisemitic incidents over the past 10 days.
“Of course, all decent Americans oppose all bigotry including Islamophobia — but as spokeswoman for the president of the United States she must fully and accurately address antisemitism as well," he said.
What a weak answer. And why are you looking in the book? What’s the approved answer? The simple answer is yes, you are concerned about the rise of antisemitism. Of course we are also worried about hatred against Muslim Americans. Must do better. https://t.co/RdYhPTFpHa
— Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) October 23, 2023
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Florida) expressed outrage at the press secretary’s response in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “What a weak answer. And why are you looking in the book? What’s the approved answer? The simple answer is yes, you are concerned about the rise of antisemitism. Of course, we are also worried about hatred against Muslim Americans. Must do better.”
The Republican National Committee also responded on X, writing that "this weekend, we saw antisemitic protestors literally waving the flag of Hamas in Minnesota. But when Karine Jean-Pierre is asked a direct question about the rise of antisemitism, she dodges.”
The press secretary responded to the controversy in a post on X, writing “To be clear: the president and our team are very concerned about a rise in antisemitism, especially after the horrific Hamas terrorist attack in Israel.”