Trump is promoting antisemitic rhetoric

Maddow Blog | Trump adds to his record of promoting antisemitic rhetoric
Story by Steve Benen •
09-18-23

In recent years, Donald Trump has repeatedly made expressed a degree of disdain for Jewish voters in the United States. As the former president sees it, he took steps he considered pro-Israel, with the expectation that he’d receive an electoral reward, and when Jewish voters largely stuck with Democrats anyway, Trump deemed them ungrateful.

This attitude continues to produce ugly results. NBC News reported:

It’s worth clarifying that the online posting, which referred to Jewish voters as “sheep,” wasn’t written by Trump himself. Rather, it was content someone else created, which the Republican chose to promote.

To put it mildly, that was unwise.

If this were simply one unfortunate social media item, it might be easier to overlook, but it’s not. There’s a larger pattern here, and if there’s a defense for it, it eludes me.

During his 2016 campaign, for example, Trump spoke to the Republican Jewish Coalition and said, “You’re not gonna support me because I don’t want your money. You want to control your politicians.” He added, “I’m a negotiator — like you folks.”

Several months later, in the runup to Election Day, the Republican promoted antisemitic imagery through social media. In the closing days of the 2016 campaign, Trump again faced accusations of antisemitism, claiming Hillary Clinton met “in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers.”

This Credit Card Is Worth Its Weight in Gold: Best Credit Card for 2023
This Credit Card Is Worth Its Weight in Gold: Best Credit Card for 2023


Ad
CompareCredit
While in office, the then-president used some highly provocative rhetoric about Jews and what he expected about their “loyalties.” Soon after, Trump spoke at the Israeli American Council’s national summit, where he suggested Jewish people are primarily focused on wealth, which is why he expected them to support his re-election campaign.

There was also, of course, his ugly reaction to a racist event in Charlottesville in 2017, in response to torch-wielding bigots chanted, “Jews will not replace us.”

After his defeat, Trump kept this going, whining that Jewish voters “don’t love Israel enough,” dining with prominent antisemites at Mar-a-Lago, and arguing that Jews need to “get their act together” and “appreciate” Israel “before it is too late.”

Late last year, the former president declared that Jewish leaders “should be ashamed of themselves” over their “lack of loyalty.” Around the same time, he added to the list, using related rhetoric about Jews with a documentary filmmaker.

Or put another way, Trump’s latest example of antisemitism was offensive, but it was not surprising.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

***
“Hitler Said That Too”: Donald Trump Claims Jews Destroyed America
Story by Mike Walters •

“They’ve Ruined the Red Cap!”: 18 Changes Caused By the Trump Era and MAGA Supporters


“Hitler Said That Too”: Donald Trump Claims Jews Destroyed America
Donald Trump, during Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year, has made some highly controversial comments about Jews.

Trump’s Wild Accusations
Trump seized the occasion of Rosh Hashanah to attack Jews who voted for Biden. He wrote: “Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America [and] Israel because you believed in false narratives! Let’s hope you learned from your mistake [and] make better choices moving forward.”

Politically Charged Comments
Trump’s remarks, coming during a time of spiritual reflection and renewal for Jews, were seen by many as highly inappropriate and politically charged. The former president clearly chose his timing carefully, potentially intending to cast a shadow over an important time.

Highlighting His Record on Israel
Along with his accusations, Trump shared what appeared to be a promotional flier boasting about his record on Israel. The flier questioned the actions of past leaders, provocatively asking, “Wake up, sheep. What Nazi/Anti-Semite ever did this for the Jewish people or Israel?”

The American Embassy
The flier highlighted the former president’s decision to relocate the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Moreover, it endorsed Trump’s support for “Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.”
A Sarcastic Tone
Additionally, the flier acknowledged Trump’s signing of the “Never Again” Education Bill, which funds Holocaust awareness and received praise from organizations like the Anti-Defamation League. The flier, adopting a sarcastic tone, playfully labeled Trump as “one of the Greatest Anti-Semites of our time.”

Notable Omissions From the Flier
The flier omitted certain controversial aspects of the former president’s history, like his claim that there were “very fine people” among neo-Nazi marchers in Charlottesville and comments about Republican Jews, including calling them manipulative money-grubbers.

The Inappropriate Timing
The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is traditionally a time for Jews to seek forgiveness. Trump’s comments during this highly important time were widely seen to be self-centered and inappropriate.

The Potential Impact
Historically, American Jews have overwhelmingly supported the Democratic Party. As such, Trump’s comments are unlikely to significantly affect his reelection chances – but that’s not to say they shouldn’t.

An Interesting Poll
According to a poll conducted by the Jewish Electoral Institute, Biden holds a substantial lead over Trump among Jewish voters, with 72% expressing their preference for the current president. Trump’s remarks will likely further solidify this voting pattern.

The Internet’s Response
News of Trump’s controversial social media post was shared across the internet and people, for the most part, were critical. One individual said: “Trump is the one who has destroyed America, not Jews! Funny how Trump always accuses others of what he is doing to America.”

Blaming Everyone Else
Plenty of people echoed the aforementioned individual. One person said: “Jews did not destroy America. Trump did with all his little followers. What an idiot, still trying to blame everyone but himself.”

Mr. Anti-Christ
Others celebrated the fact that most Americans seemingly see Trump as the real threat to the United States. “Well, Mr. Anti-Christ has spoken again. Isn’t it great that we true Americans are stopping the real threat to America, Delirious Trump?” one person said.
A Harsh Result
Another said: “Putins’s puppet, who killed thousands by lying about COVID, who stole money from our country, [who] stole secrets and is a traitor… those words will have a harsh result for him. No real American would follow this trash.”

Trump vs. Hitler
Others compared Trump to Hitler. “Adolf Hitler also told the German people that the Jews were their biggest problem,” one person said. “Okay, I know we’ve always compared him to Hitler but… wow. Just wow,” another wrote. “Hitler said that too,” a third added

Looking to the Past
Plenty of people echoed the aforementioned commenters. One individual wrote: “There was a German leader who said the same type of things. This guy needs to be in jail – and muzzle him at the same time!

No Moral Compass and No Integrity
Another commenter said: “What a guy. Is there no one safe from his ranting? My goodness, on and on with lies [and] distortion of the truth. No moral compass, no integrity or character. How did we ever vote this guy as president?”

People Were Disgusted
A fair few people expressed sheer disgust at the former president’s words. “Trump is disgusting. If he bothered to actually think about the meaning of Rosh Hashanah it would be a miracle,” one commenter said.

 MAGA Perspective
Trump’s fans denied he’d made the comments, despite them being there for everyone to see on social media. “Fake news and just look at all the sheep who’ll buy this [trash],” one person said. “What an uneducated fool,” another replied. “It’s on his social [media],” a third added.