Senator Cory Booker would not say on Saturday if he thought that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a racist.

Instead Booker, one of many 2020 Democratic presidential candidates campaigning at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines Iowa on Saturday, took umbrage at the question from Jewish Insider. 

Several Democratic presidential contenders — including former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — have recently labeled Netanyahu a racist. However, speaking to The Jerusalem Post last week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, “I don’t think he’s a racist. Period. No.”

“You know, what I think very strongly, sir, is that we have a crisis with Israel right now,” Booker said in response to the question. “Israel is less safe under this president than it was before. We literally have a president right now that has allowed Iran to have a superhighway through Syria; that literally announces by tweet that he’ s pulling our troops out which puts Israel more at risk.”

“We have a president who is breaking [the] tradition of Democratic and Republican presidents in the past by turning his back on the commitment to a two- state solution,” he added. “We have a president that’s not doing what he should be doing to protect that region. He’s pulling away from a nuclear deal now as he’s making Iran go perilously towards it.”

“I know you have these interesting questions,” Booker continued, “but I got to the United States Senate to stand up for our allies and for the State of Israel and this is a president who is making the United States weaker and making Israel more vulnerable.”