DeSantis: Rise In Anti-Semitism Worse Than Islamophobia

When a reporter tried to compare the rise in anti-Semitism that Jews have been faced with lately to Islamophobia, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not let it slide.

DeSantis Rips Reporter For Trying To Compare Rise In Anti-Semitism With Islamophobia https://t.co/oRLYIW99Nv pic.twitter.com/YR9BUUXsBx

— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) December 6, 2023

During a press conference on Tuesday, the reporter asked the GOP presidential candidate about the rise in violence to Muslims and Muslim schools, which have been reported amid the rise in anti-Semitic incidents since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

In response, DeSantis said, “Yeah, that is not true. They are not experiencing the similar threats. … Are those students being chased for their lives in some of these universities around the country? They had the pro-Israel rally in Washington, D.C., I didn’t see any hate there. I saw American flags. I saw Israel flags. I saw that.”

DeSantis went on to lay the blame for what he called “false equivalence’ on President Joe Biden as he said, “Biden has responded to the unprecedented spike in anti-Semitic fervor around the world, and even in this country, he’s responded by saying that the real problem is Islamophobia.”

“They are not the same thing. That’s just not what’s happening, like it’s happening here in the United States — and in Florida, obviously, we have areas that are targeted.”

Further emphasizing his stance that anti-Semitism is “pre-dominating” over all other forms of hate around the world, he stated that the rise in anti-Semitic incidents over the past two months was so dramatic it shocked many people who already saw anti-Semitism as an issue.

“The number of — the percentage of crimes against people based on identity — Jews always lead that overwhelmingly in America and around the world. But in America, not even close. There’s not even a close second. That’s just the fact on it,” he added.

DeSantis has previously tackled Biden for prioritizing the issue of Islamophobia over Jewish Americans who are being trolled amid the Israel-Hamas war.

After the president announced an initiative to fight Islamophobia last month, DeSantis condemned the move, saying, “What is Biden doing? Not only is he not helping the Jewish students, who are being persecuted, he is launching an initiative to combat so-called Islamophobia.”

For DeSantis, anti-Semitism is the issue that is “spiraling out of control,” and hence, the one that should be prioritized.