Such behavior must be condemned, and Trump did not speak forcefully enough against it during the campaign, Mark insisted.
"Instead it seems like he chose the path of saying just little enough that those people could tell themselves that secretly, he's on board with them and their bad motives, which I don't believe he is."
President Trump denounced antisemitism on Tuesday as he spoke at the newly-opened National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
"This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms," he said. "The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are a painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil."
However, his statement came after weeks of statements – or omissions – that drew more concerns about his administration's response to anti-Semitism.
In his Jan. 27 remarks on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Donald Trump left out any specific mention of the Jewish people, a mention made by the White House in past years.
For instance, President Obama in 2015 said that "the American people pay tribute to the six million Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazi regime."
In 2016, in his remarks at the Righteous Among Nations Awards Dinner at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., President Obama insisted that "we must confront the reality that around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise" including in the United States.
Then last week at a Nov. 16 press conference, Trump was asked by reporter Jake Turx, writing for the Jewish magazine "Ami," about the rise in antisemitic incidents.
While Turx noted there were no accusations of antisemitism leveled against Trump by members of his community, he added that questions do exist of how the Trump administration would respond to the other anti-Semitic incidents nationwide.
As Turx cited reports of bomb threats made against Jewish community centers, Trump interrupted him and scolded him for not asking a simpler question, calling it "not a fair question." He asked Turx to sit down and told him "I understood the rest of your question."
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"I am the least antisemitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life," Trump began, calling himself also the "least racist person." When Turx interrupted to follow up his question, Trump ordered him to "quiet" and said he hated both the "charge" of antisemitism leveled against him and Turx's "question."
The day before, at a Feb. 15 joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Trump was asked by a reporter about the rise in antisemitic incidents:
"And I wonder what you say to those among the Jewish community in the States, and in Israel, and maybe around the world who believe and feel that your administration is playing with xenophobia and maybe racist tones?"
President Trump responded first by pointing out his Electoral College victory and the "tremendous enthusiasm" for his administration in the country. He then promised to "stop crime in this country" and would work "to stop long-simmering racism" and noted that he had "so many (Jewish) friends" and family.
The advocacy group Human Rights First criticized Trump's answer, calling it "inappropriate" and saying it "widely missed the mark."
"The president's response today once again highlights a deeply concerning trend toward accommodating antisemitic voices and failing to clearly and unequivocally denounce hate," Susan Corke of Human Rights First stated.