Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is placing the blame for the surge of antisemitism in the United States on former President Donald Trump. In an interview with Dana Bash on Breitbart News, the GOP presidential candidate suggested that this rise in hatred towards Jews was a reaction to what he called the “intolerant” rhetoric and actions of Trump.

Bash started the conversation by asking Christie about his views on the increasing hate against Jews and referring to his previous statement to The New York Times, where he had expressed his belief that Trump had played a role in contributing to this disturbing trend.

Christie responded, “When you show intolerance towards everyone, which is what he does, you give permission as a leader for others to have their intolerance come out. Intolerance towards anyone encourages intolerance towards everyone.”

“That’s exactly what’s going on here. That’s been going on for some time, not just with Donald Trump, but with university professors on some of our most elite campuses in this country, with university administrators and presidents who have been unwilling to stand up against antisemitism on their campuses, most particularly,” he added.

Going on to assert that a lot of people contributed to the wave of antisemitism, he said, “I believe Donald Trump’s intolerant language and conduct gives others permission to act the same.”

The current wave of antisemitism is attributed to radical left-wing opposition to Israel in response to the war between Israel and Hamas after the latter’s attack against the former on Oct. 7. While Christie is linking it to the former president, many believe this surge in hatred towards Jews has little to do with Trump’s policies or rhetoric.

Trump was widely regarded as one of the most pro-Israel presidents in American history, as he took several unprecedented actions to combat antisemitism, including signing an executive order that extended civil rights protections to Jewish students on college campuses.

He also recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and played a crucial role in brokering the Abraham Accords.

The former president’s own family has ties to the Jewish community, with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, being Jewish and his daughter Ivanka converting to Judaism.