Trump says antisemitism in America is 'like Germany in 1938' and says it started during Obama's run

President Trump says the rise of antisemitism in the United States is "like Germany in 1938," in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt released Thursday.

Hewitt told the president that antisemitism "was on the ballot all across the country and it won," calling it "a cancer that kills civilizations and countries," and asked how alarmed he is and what can be done.

"I'm amazed to see it. I never thought this. This is like Germany in 1938 or whatever. It's like crazy what's going on," Trump said. Looking at attacks on people, he said, "I guess 57% on Jewish people, and you wouldn't believe it."

"It started, I would say, during Barack Hussein Obama's run," Trump said. "That's when it started and it's continuing, and it's pretty shocking to me."

He pointed to his administration's pressure on universities, saying schools like Harvard are "paying big prices" because they are antisemitic, and said the FBI has a task force on antisemitism.

Asked whether he is still the most pro-Israel president ever, Trump said, "I am." He said he did not understand why Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed got more Jewish votes than the Republican candidate, and said he is at "99%" in Israel. "I'm very much Israel-inclined," he said.

The remarks came days after the 88th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the 1938 Nazi pogrom against Germany's Jews.