Trump highlights Dem pol, who says 'all the hate in New York is coming from the left'

President Donald Trump on Monday publicly thanked a Fox News guest who said that Democratic leaders in New York need Trump's help to combat anti-Semitic violence and that "all the hate in New York is coming from the left."

Trump's comments on Twitter came in response to an appearance by Dov Hikind, a former New York state assemblyman and founder of Americans Against Antisemitism.

Hikind asserted that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York Mayor Mike de Blasio, both Democrats, are not doing enough to protect Jews living in the state, as evidenced by the knife attack that injured five people at the home of a Hasidic rabbi on Saturday.

"I think we need the federal government," Hikind, a Democrat, said during the "Fox & Friends" interview. "I hate to say this, but de Blasio and Cuomo need the help of President Trump. This in an epidemic that is happening, these acts of anti-Semitism. Out of control, and the leadership is not dealing with it."

Trump, a Republican, referenced the interview later Monday morning in a tweet, writing: "Thank you to highly respected Jewish leader Dov Hikind for his wonderful statements about me this morning on @foxandfriends."

During the interview, Hikind also claimed a double standard for hate speech directed at Jews, contending that some high-profile Democrats in Congress are "indulging in hate speech" and getting away with it.

"The hate, the anti-Semitism that emanates from within the left, you don't hear anything," Hikind said. "You hear very little. Anything that comes from the other side, it's all - I mean, even the mayor of the city of New York has continued to call the hate 'coming from the right.' All the hate in New York is coming from the left."

In a Fox News interview on Sunday, de Blasio lamented "an atmosphere of hate" that he said has developed in recent years and noted, "A lot of it is emanating from Washington."

Asked whether he was blaming Trump, de Blasio said, "Not just the president," adding: "We need a different tone, starting in Washington."

His comments came amid an array of assessments of factors fueling growing hostility toward the country's Jewish community in recent times.

During a Fox News Sunday appearance over the weekend, evangelical leader Franklin Graham said "hatred for Trump" and "a lot of people in the media" were contributing factors.

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