Pod Save America Hosts Misstate 'Blood Libel' After Mocking JD Vance, as ADL Logs 9,354 Incidents
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 5
Pod Save America Hosts Misstate 'Blood Libel' After Mocking JD Vance, as ADL Logs 9,354 Incidents
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 5
Summary
Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett mocked JD Vance’s use of “blood libel” on a Wednesday episode, then gave conflicting explanations before eventually reading the historical definition aloud.
Vance had used the term while discussing antisemitism before the Republican Jewish Coalition, describing inherited guilt tied to “blood” and ancestry; Jewish Insider said he also used “blood guilt” interchangeably.
Seth Mandel of Commentary said the exchange showed how antisemitism accusations can be casually dismissed, arguing the hosts’ confusion minimized the history behind anti-Jewish tropes.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and ADL define blood libel as the false claim that Jews used non-Jews’ blood—often Christian children’s—for rituals, distinct from the charge that Jews killed Jesus.
The broader backdrop is a rise in antisemitic incidents: the ADL counted 9,354 U.S. cases in 2024, a record since 1979, with 58% tied to Israel or Zionism.