President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday that he didn't "buy" the tears from Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) at a recent press conference addressing Israel's decision to bar entry to her and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), adding that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats show either "a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty."
Why it matters: 79% of Jewish Americans voted for Democrats in the 2018 midterms, according to Pew Research Center.
Driving the news: Following pressure from President Trump, Reps. Omar and Tlaib were barred by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from visiting Israel last week over their support for the BDS movement, which advocates a boycott of the state of Israel for its government's treatment of Palestinians. Trump publicly encouraged the ban on Twitter, saying that the congresswomen "hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds."
Flashback: Trump told RNC donors in March that "the Democrats hate Jewish people," referring to the controversy over Omar's past comments about Israel.
- Republicans and some Democrats accused Omar of exploiting an anti-Semitic stereotype that Jewish Americans hold a "dual loyalty" to a foreign country. Omar "unequivocally" apologized for the comments.
- It's unclear to whom Trump thinks Jewish Americans who vote Democrat are "disloyal" — but his comments have prompted accusations that he's exploiting the same anti-Semitic "dual loyalty" trope that Omar apologized for in February.
Go deeper: Trump builds 2020 support with Republican Jewish Coalition
