The head of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect on Tuesday slammed President Donald Trump for speaking out against anti-Semitism as “too little” and “too late.”
Trump denounced bigotry and condemned incidents of vandalism and threats targeting Jewish centers across the country during his first tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Steven Goldstein, the executive director of the Anne Frank Center, accused the president of only making the comments amid mounting pressure to address anti-Semitism. “The President’s sudden acknowledgement is a Band-Aid on the cancer of anti-Semitism that has infected his own Administration,” Goldstein said in a statement. “Make no mistake: The anti-Semitism coming out of this Administration is the worst we have ever seen from any Administration.”
Goldstein said the White House refused to mention Jews in its Holocaust Remembrance Day statement and noted Trump’s silence when Jewish centers first received bomb threats.
“When President Trump responds to anti-Semitism proactively and in real time, and without pleas and pressure, that’s when we’ll be able to say this President has turned a corner,” he said. “This is not that moment.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- Why Vinegar Is So Good for You
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com