The exchange began with Mr. Turx standing up from his third-row seat and gesturing slightly toward his fellow reporters:
Despite what some of my colleagues may have been reporting, I havent seen anybody in my community accuse either yourself or anyone on your staff of being anti-Semitic. We understand that you have Jewish grandchildren. You are their zayde, which is Yiddish for grandfather and often a word of great affection.
At that Mr. Trump nodded slightly, and said, thank you.
However, Mr. Turx continued, what we are concerned about and what we havent really heard being addressed is an uptick in anti-Semitism and how the government is planning to take care of it. Theres been a report out that 48 bomb threats have been made against Jewish centers all across the country in the last couple of weeks. There are people committing anti-Semitic acts or threatening to
At that, Mr. Trump interrupted, saying it was not a fair question.
Sit down, the president commanded. I understand the rest of your question.
As Mr. Turx took his seat, Mr. Trump said, So heres the story, folks. No. 1, I am the least anti-Semitic person that youve ever seen in your entire life. No. 2, racism, the least racist person.
Mr. Turx tried to interject, realizing how the encounter had turned. He said he had wanted to clarify that he in no way meant to accuse Mr. Trump of anti-Semitism but instead intended to ask what his administration could do to stop the anti-Semitic incidents.
But Mr. Trump would not let him speak again, saying, Quiet, quiet, quiet. As Mr. Turx shook his head with an incredulous look on his face, Mr. Trump accused him of having lied that his question would be straight and simple.
Mr. Trump said, I find it repulsive. I hate even the question because people that know me.
He went on to say that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, during his visit to the United States on Wednesday, had vouched for Mr. Trump as a good friend of Israel and the Jewish people and no anti-Semite.
Mr. Trump concluded that Mr. Turx should have relied on Mr. Netanyahus endorsement, instead of having to get up and ask a very insulting question like that.
Just shows you about the press, but thats the way the press is, Mr. Trump said.
At the news conference, Mr. Turx was referring to a rash of incidents that have shaken many American Jews since Mr. Trump was elected. On three separate days in January, Jewish synagogues, community centers and schools across the country received what seemed to be a coordinated wave of telephone bomb threats that led to evacuations and F.B.I. investigations. Other Jewish institutions have seen an uptick in vandalism and graffiti in the last few months.
It was the second time in two days that Mr. Trump was asked to denounce anti-Semitism and offer American Jews a dose of reassurance. In his joint news conference with Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Trump responded to a question about anti-Semitism by breezily recounting the size of his Electoral College victory and then reminding the reporters that his daughter, Ivanka, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and their three children Mr. Trumps grandchildren are all Jewish.
The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement on Thursday that said, It is mind-boggling why President Trump prefers to shout down a reporter or brush this off as a political distraction.
David Harris, chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, said, Respectfully, Mr. President, please use your bully pulpit not to bully reporters asking questions potentially affecting millions of fellow Americans, but rather to help solve a problem that, for many, is real and menacing.
