Donald Trump has publicly condemned for the first time recent anti-Semitic threats in the US as "horrible and painful".

The President said more needed to be done to "root out hate and prejudice and evil".

Up to 200 headstones were damaged or toppled over at a Jewish cemetery in St Louis, Missouri, on Sunday.

A day later, 11 Jewish community centres across the country received hoax bomb threats, forcing people to be evacuated.

There was a spate of similar fake calls last month.


When a reporter asked about anti-Semitic incidents at a White House news conference last week, Mr Trump did not explicitly condemn them.

Image: Headstones were damaged or toppled over at a Jewish cemetery in St Louis

Instead he spoke more generally about his hopes of making the nation less "divided" as he denounced "hatred and hate-motivated violence".

The President also said the reporter's question was "not fair", and he added he was the "least anti-Semitic person you have ever seen in your entire life".

At the end of a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington on Tuesday, he said: "The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centres are horrible and are painful.

"And a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil."

However, Mr Trump, whose daughter Ivanka is a convert to Judaism, did not outline what that work might include.

Michele Jawando, from think-tank the Centre for American Progress, told Sky News she thought Mr Trump should have spoken up earlier.

She said: "If you take this long to speak about something that affects so many of our fellow Americans, then you are not really doing a service as the American president.

"Donald Trump should know there have been almost 64 incidents against Jewish brothers and sisters since his election."

She added: "And this was the first time we have heard him affirmatively saying something and speak out. I think that is problematic."

Trump slams 'insulting' question

Sky's Siobhan Robbins said: "He's been under pressure to take a stand especially as last week in a press conference when he was asked about attacks on the Jewish community he seemed to dodge the question."

She added: "I think many agreed that that was not very well handled.

"Today's statement was the first public condemnation of the threats to Jews and it will be widely welcomed by the community."