--- ---  # President Trump Denounces Anti-Semitic Threats as 'Horrible'  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 21, 2017 3:23 PM UTC  President Donald Trump arrives at the White House on Feb. 20, 2017\. Trump returned from Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday after spending three weekends in a row at his Mara-a-Lago estate. President Donald Trump arrives at the White House on Feb. 20, 2017\. Trump returned from Palm Beach, Fla., on Monday after spending three weekends in a row at his Mara-a-Lago estate.Andrew Harnik—AP  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Feb 21, 2017 3:23 PM UTC President Trump on Tuesday called anti-Semitism “horrible,” speaking out for the first time on recent threats and [incidents of vandalism](http://time.com/4676540/antisemitism-missouri-vandalism-jewish-cemetery/) targeting Jewish organizations and institutions. “I will tell you that anti-Semitism is horrible and it’s going to stop. And it has to stop,” Trump [told MSNBC](https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/834050590640533505) on Tuesday morning, while visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Asked if he was denouncing anti-Semitism once and for all, Trump said, “Of course, and I do it — whenever I get a chance, I do it.” In brief remarks to reporters, Trump then said that his tour of the recently opened museum was a “meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms.” “The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish communities and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil,” he said. Trump had recently resisted commenting on anti-Semitism. At a joint press conference with [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu](http://time.com/4642753/donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-israel-jerusalem/) last week, he [responded to a question](http://time.com/4672402/donald-trump-anti-semitism-netanyahu/) about “a sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents” since his election by talking about his Electoral College victory. Asked about anti-Semitism again at a [press conference the next day](http://time.com/4674107/donald-trump-press-conference-media/), Trump called it a “very insulting question.” “Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life,” he said. “Number two, racism, the least racist person.” President Trump Denounces Anti-Semitism as 'Horrible' ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4676837/donald-trump-anti-semitism-threats/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4676837/donald-trump-anti-semitism-threats/"},"headline":"President Trump Denounces Anti-Semitic Threats as 'Horrible'","datePublished":"2017-02-21T15:23:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T03:26:04.536Z","description":"\"It's going to stop. And it has to stop\"","url":"https://time.com/4676837/donald-trump-anti-semitism-threats/","keywords":["Donald Trump","White House","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1dfa54305a82800/6988bb13ed2d8d90aa8a8a28/donald-trump10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf1dfa54305a82800/6988bb13ed2d8d90aa8a8a28/donald-trump10.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump","caption":"Donald Trump","creditText":"Andrew Harnik—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4676837/donald-trump-anti-semitism-threats/","name":"President Trump Denounces Anti-Semitic Threats as 'Horrible'"}}]}] ```