ByJOSEPH STRAUSS/JTA

JULY 17 2026 09:19

Jon Ossoff the Jewish senator from Georgia who is drawing speculation for a 2028 presidential run stands ready to face criticism during an address Thursday evening by President Donald Trump.

Ossoff informed reporters that if Trump questions the legitimacy of his and Sen. Raphael Warnock 2021 election victories as anticipated then the president would be labeling Georgia voters as illegitimate.

Trump has often asserted without evidence that his 2020 presidential loss in Georgia along with the Democratic wins by Ossoff and Warnock in the January runoffs resulted from fraud.

He has sent federal agents to Georgia in search of fraud proof despite multiple investigations finding none.

The address occurs while Ossoff attracts widespread notice for his ongoing critiques of the president during his reelection contest against Trump-backed Rep. Mike Collins.

Ossoff could be the Democratic presidential nominee for 2028

Ossoff ongoing conflict with Trump may heighten speculation about his pursuit of the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

Ossoff has consistently rejected any interest in a presidential campaign this cycle. Yet Democratic pollster Adam Carlson envisioned a passage from a Former President Ossoff memoir in 2060.

I was not planning on running for president. It was never an ambition of mine Carlson posted on X following early reports that Trump address might occur as soon as Monday. Then Trump delivered that unusual address on July 13 2026 and here we are.

If he were to campaign and succeed Ossoff at age 39 would become the first Jewish president of the United States and his Jewish background has entered conversations about his possible run.

He has been likened to Barack Obama who declared in 2006 that he would not seek the presidency only to win it two years later.

Support from left-wing figures

Attention around Ossoff centers on his pointed rebukes of Trump drawing praise from notable progressive voices. Figures such as Gen Z commentator Jack Cocchiarella and Zohran Mamdani adviser Morris Katz have praised Ossoff approach.

Left-wing streamer Hasan Piker a vocal Israel critic facing antisemitism claims stated Ossoff will be my dark horse pick depending on how he presents himself if he has ambitions for higher office.

One topic Ossoff has mostly avoided in his reelection effort is Israel an increasingly divisive matter among Democrats and a key issue for democratic socialists like Piker.

While several potential presidential contenders have distanced themselves from the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC Ossoff has not commented on it.

Ossoff's views on Israel

Ossoff has presented himself as an Israel backer who rejects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government. Slightly more than a month after the October 7 2023 Hamas attack on Israel he described himself as a pro-Israel Jewish American in a speech. He expressed prayers for the Israeli hostages release and called for mercy toward innocent civilians in Gaza.

He has since supported blocking certain weapons transfers to Israel joining more Senate Democrats who have scrutinized military aid amid the Gaza conflict while approving defensive arms sales.

He stated in July 2025 that the United States must continue to support the Israeli people who face ongoing rocket and missile threats and have endured heavy aerial attacks from Iran Lebanon and Yemen.

Ossoff initial vote against weapons transfers in November 2024 prompted a critical open letter from several Georgia Jewish organizations including synagogues Jewish schools the local Anti-Defamation League chapter and other groups. His vote also drew notice from AIPAC which aired 30-second ads targeting US senators including Ossoff who opposed weapons sales.

Ossoff could unite the Democratic Party

Radio host Eric Messersmith remarked last month that in seeking to appeal to a party split over Israel Ossoff might be the Democrat that can thread the needle because even though he is Jewish he is very critical of the Israeli government very critical of Benjamin Netanyahu.

He has credibility on that issue so it is possible that I think he could fill that lane in between the two extremes of the Democratic party Messersmith said during a widely shared CNN discussion.

CNN Elex Michaelson faced online backlash when he added As a Jew some people read a little more Jewish than other people and Jon Ossoff may not read as Jewish as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro does for whatever that is worth. Michaelson later apologized.

Ossoff maintains strong connections to the local Jewish community and has discussed the influence of growing up near his uncle a Holocaust survivor.

Living among survivors has a profound impact on how I view the State of Israel recognizing that the State of Israel was established 75 years ago as Jews rebuilt in the ashes of the Holocaust and sought to establish a secure homeland for the Jewish people Ossoff told the American Jewish Committee in May 2023.

Ossoff's Georgia campaign

The Georgia Democrat team announced that Ossoff raised 20 million dollars in the second quarter of the year finishing with 42 million dollars in cash reserves.

Jewish Insider reported that some Jewish Georgians feel conflicted. Collins has encountered accusations of antisemitism and links to the far right. Collins son-in-law is a white nationalist social media influencer who has posted antisemitic content and Nazi imagery CNN reported on Thursday. Collins has claimed some of his remarks were misinterpreted and has defended himself by pointing to his support for Israel.

Donald Trump handpicked candidate Mike Collins is a notorious bigot antisemite and extremist Ossoff posted on social media last month.

Ahead of Trump address Ossoff said he anticipates the president will use whatever he releases on Thursday as a pretext to meddle in the November election or to prepare for disputing the outcome.