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Stefanik Contrasts ‘Vile Anti-Semitism’ on College Campuses Under Biden With Trump’s Strong Support for ‘Israel and the Jewish People’

New York congresswoman takes the stage at Republican National Convention

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
July 16, 2024

MILWAUKEE—Rep. Elise Stefanik (R., N.Y.) took the stage at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday evening to contrast the "vile anti-Semitism" seen on college campuses under President Joe Biden with former president Donald Trump’s strong support for "Israel and the Jewish people."

Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference, blamed "Biden’s Democrat Party" for anti-Semitic chants heard on college campuses following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack that killed over 1,000 Israeli citizens.

"And what has been the response from the radical left on our college campuses? Vile anti-Semitism: chanting Death to Israel, Death to Jews, Death to America. This is Joe Biden’s Democrat Party," Stefanik said.

She said a second Trump term, however, would strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance and counter the rampant anti-Semitism colleges faced under Biden.

"President Trump will bring back moral leadership to the White House," Stefanik said, "Condemning anti-Semitism and standing strong with Israel and the Jewish people."

The New York congresswoman was instrumental in holding leaders at elite universities accountable for the widespread anti-Semitism observed on U.S. college campuses, particularly presidents at Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"Who saw that congressional hearing with the college presidents of so-called elite universities?" she asked the crowd. "Oh wait, they are former presidents."

"You know, I ask[ed] one simple question at that hearing. It was not a political question. It was a moral question and that was this: Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate your university’s code of conduct? And one after the other … said it depends on the context," Stefanik said. "Let me tell you, America knows it does not depend on the context."

During her speech, Stefanik also criticized Biden’s open border policy and blamed a surge in violence across major cities on Democrats—in line with Tuesday's theme at the convention, "Make America Safe Again."