President Trump has spent the past few weeks baselessly accusing Democratic Representatives of being “anti-Semites” over their appropriate criticism of Israel’s appalling human rights record — but is now facing those same accusations for some incendiary remarks he spouted off in the Oval Office this afternoon.
Speaking with the press this afternoon, Trump railed against the 80% of American Jews who vote Democratic and accused them of having “a total lack of knowledge” or “great disloyalty.”
Here's the video of our antisemitic, terror-inciting president. It's an absolute horror that @SpeakerPelosi and @SenSchumer have continued treating him like anything other than an imminent threat to entire communities across the country.https://t.co/emGiiVwMHU
— Eli Valley (@elivalley) August 20, 2019
The “great disloyalty” line is directly lifted from extremist right-wing Zionists, particularly commentator Ben Shapiro, who worked tirelessly to falsely conflate Jewish identity with unquestioning loyalty to Israel — an idea that is itself widely considered to be anti-Semitic trope by progressive Jews.
The Jewish people has always been plagued by Bad Jews, who undermine it from within. In America, those Bad Jews largely vote Democrat.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 8, 2011
Considering that the President is not Jewish, openly spouts white supremacist rhetoric, and has helped provoke at least two massacres at Jewish synagogues, it goes without saying that Donald Trump is not qualified to levy any kind of judgment on American Jews.
Prominent Jews from both sides of the aisle were quick to condemn the President and his outburst as anti-Semitic — everyone except, unsurprisingly, the original author of the “Bad Jews” take.
And here is the President of the United States with a classic anti-Semitic dual loyalty trope, suggesting Jews owe loyalty to Israel over America. In case anyone thought he cared about Jews. https://t.co/AK45OkdQEF
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) August 20, 2019
This statement by Trump — the suggestion that Jews must prove their loyalty to the United States by voting in a particular way — is an appalling piece of antisemitism. https://t.co/iR9KrBBzCS
— Binyamin Appelbaum (@BCAppelbaum) August 20, 2019
"The vast majority of American Jews are either ignorant or disloyal' – The President of the United States, who is an antisemite https://t.co/dXgG4kiCQB
— Eli Valley (@elivalley) August 20, 2019
Disloyalty to Jews? As in the Jewish version of ‘race traitor’? https://t.co/4mS8fBcSrJ
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) August 20, 2019
This will probably mean we have to double up on our self-defense processes at my synagogue. A bunch of innocent people who gather to learn and support each other are thus targeted for every angry white man with a gun by this irresponsible, fear mongering racist. https://t.co/VW9NRVLiwQ
— RavArielStone PDX Interfaith Clergy Resistance (@ravarielstone) August 20, 2019
President Trump’s vicious words are not only a monstrous show of hypocrisy but represent a clear and present danger to the Jewish people of America.
Trump’s fans threaten violence and death against literally everyone who dares to cross him; how long will it be before some deranged young white man takes it upon himself to punish the “disloyal” Jews for failing to support Trump? In case you think this is hyperbole, remember that a man was arrested for threatening to shoot up a synagogue just three days ago and two anti-Semitic mass shootings have already been carried out by Trump’s white supremacist fans.
This should be a warning to the American Jewish right-wing about the danger of playing footsie with white supremacists like Donald Trump, but of course, like all Republicans ostensibly horrified by the President’s atrocious comments, they will swallow their pride and even find a way to agree with him:
President Trump is right, it shows a great deal of disloyalty to oneself to defend a party that protects/emboldens people that hate you for your religion. The @GOP, when rarely confronted w/anti-Semitism of elected members always acts swiftly and decisively to punish and remove. https://t.co/mEBgd84qkf
— RJC (@RJC) August 20, 2019
Hopefully, at least we can now drop the preposterous notion that Trump ever cared about Israel or American Jews beyond their utility to him as a vehicle for his bigoted smear campaigns against our Muslim Congresswomen.
