At a White House holiday reception today, President Donald Trump addressed the terror attack against the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia, describing it in blunt terms and leaving no doubt about its nature. “That was an antisemitic attack, obviously,” he said.
During the same appearance, Trump praised the civilian who intervened during the assault, expressing admiration for his actions. He said he had “great respect” for the man who tackled one of the attackers, calling him a “a very, very brave person.”
Earlier in the day, Trump spoke with Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy, who asked whether Americans lighting Chanukah candles should be concerned about their personal safety in the wake of the attack abroad.
Relaying the president’s response, Doocy said, “Straight from the president, his message to people celebrating Hanukkah today, he said, ‘they do not need to be worried. They should celebrate proudly, and they should be proud of who you are, celebrate proudly.’”
Trump reinforced that message later at the White House event, tying it directly to the violence in Australia. “We’re here to celebrate X-mas and … I think today, we can first say, loudly, we celebrate Hanukkah because that was such a horrible attack, that was a purely antisemitic attack,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
