Former President Donald Trump has reignited controversy with his latest remarks directed at religious communities, particularly Jews and Catholics, by issuing what many are calling a dangerous “loyalty test.” Trump, who has long relied on religious support, declared that he could best protect their freedoms while insinuating that any failure in his 2024 presidential campaign could be attributed to certain religious voters. His remarks have sparked outrage from Jewish and Catholic leaders alike, who warn that such rhetoric is divisive and potentially harmful.

In a speech on September 19 to Jewish donors and the Israeli-American Council in Washington, Trump suggested that Jewish voters would bear responsibility if he loses the upcoming election. “Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss,” he said, adding that those who don’t vote for him “need their head examined.” He further inflamed the situation on September 22 by making similar comments about Catholic voters on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump’s remarks immediately drew sharp criticism from Jewish leaders across the political spectrum. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, which represents more than 800 synagogues in North America, condemned the comments as dangerous and rooted in centuries-old antisemitic stereotypes. In a social media post, Jacobs stated, “Your words preemptively blaming Jews for your potential election loss is of a piece with millennia of antisemitic lies about Jewish power. It puts a target on American Jews.”

Jacobs’ concern highlights a growing fear among many Jewish Americans that Trump’s divisive rhetoric could incite violence and further marginalize vulnerable communities. The American Jewish Committee (AJC), a prominent advocacy group, echoed this sentiment in a statement, warning that Trump’s words were “outrageous and dangerous.”

“Setting up anyone to say ‘we lost because of the Jews’ is outrageous and dangerous,” the AJC stated, adding that scapegoating Jews has historically led to antisemitic violence. “Thousands of years of history have shown that scapegoating Jews can lead to antisemitic hate and violence,” the group said.

Trump’s comments have also alarmed Catholic leaders, who see his rhetoric as an intrusion into matters of faith. Steven Millies, a public theology professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, criticized the former president’s attempt to dictate what constitutes good faith for Catholic voters. “Non-Jews shouldn’t express public opinions about what is or isn’t good Judaism, and non-Catholics shouldn’t express public opinions about what is or isn’t good Catholicism,” Millies said. “Not only is it bad form, but it’s also an ignorant waste of oxygen.”

David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, pointed out that Trump’s rhetoric is particularly troubling given the Catholic Church’s stance on issues like immigration. “For a non-Catholic like Trump to be setting himself up as the savior of Catholics, or Jews for that matter, would have been political insanity in past elections,” Gibson noted.

Gibson added that many Catholics should find Trump’s increasingly nativist rhetoric on immigration to be at odds with Church teachings, which emphasize compassion and support for migrants and refugees. “Catholics listening to the increasingly nativist rhetoric on immigration from Trump and even his running mate, JD Vance, ought to have their hearts examined if they support that,” Gibson said.

Trump’s campaign has responded to the backlash with statements from his Jewish supporters, who argue that Trump has been one of the strongest allies of Israel in U.S. history. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s campaign press secretary, defended the former president, claiming that Jewish Americans and Jewish leaders “recognize that President Trump did more for them and the State of Israel than any president in history.”

Ellie Cohanim, a former deputy special envoy for combating antisemitism under the Trump administration, supported Trump’s challenge to Jewish voters. “Trump is absolutely correct in challenging our assumptions about voting on auto-pilot and failing to comprehend that the Democrat Party, which has been hijacked by its far-left base, is no longer a home for the Jewish people,” Cohanim said.

Experts in religious and political rhetoric are warning that Trump’s latest remarks cross a line, not only by demanding loyalty based on religion but also by setting up certain religious groups as scapegoats for a potential political loss. Matthew Boedy, a professor at the University of North Georgia who studies religious rhetoric, described Trump’s language as reminiscent of spiritual warfare, a rhetorical tactic common in certain Christian circles. “Now that enemy is anyone — Jew, Christian, Muslim — who stands in his way,” Boedy explained.

Boedy warned that Trump’s insistence on religious loyalty undermines both democracy and religion by pitting religious communities against one another. “Trump always makes his religious followers — especially Christians — choose. They have to choose him over pluralism, over morality, over evangelism,” Boedy said, noting that Trump is exploiting pre-existing divisions for political gain.

Jennifer Mercieca, a historian of American political rhetoric at Texas A&M University, agreed, emphasizing the authoritarian nature of Trump’s messaging. “The kind of language Trump is using here is more like that used by an authoritarian personality cult leader,” she said. According to Mercieca, Trump’s attempt to divide people based on religious identity is not only divisive but “especially dangerous” in a democratic society.

While Trump’s comments have drawn widespread criticism, he still enjoys significant support among certain Jewish and Catholic voters. In the 2020 election, Trump received approximately 30% of the Jewish vote, compared to 70% for then-candidate Joe Biden. Jewish megadonor Miriam Adelson, who introduced Trump at his recent event, called him “a true friend of the Jewish people.”

However, the broader Jewish and Catholic communities remain divided. Betsy Frank, a Jewish woman from Mattituck, New York, voiced her opposition to Trump’s rhetoric in a letter to *The New York Times*. “As a proud Jewish woman who believes in Israel’s right to defend itself but supports the United States and everything it stands for even more, I would not vote for Donald Trump for any office,” Frank wrote. “If he loses the election, I will gladly take the blame.”

Trump’s comments have once again brought religion into the political spotlight, with many religious leaders warning that his rhetoric not only threatens their communities but also undermines the foundations of American democracy. As the 2024 election approaches, the question remains: Will Trump’s divisive rhetoric bring religious voters closer to him, or will it push them away?