Donald Trump courts Jews by peddling anti-Semitic 'disloyalty' tropes: Today's talker
President Donald Trump suggested in a news conference Tuesday that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats are either not well-informed or disloyal. The comments come in the wake of a contentious back-and-forth between the Israeli government and Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
What the president doesn't know
By EJ Montini
This isn’t difficult.
It’s grotesque. It’s incredibly ham-handed. But it’s obvious.
The president of the United States just tried to appeal to Jewish voters by making an anti-Semitic comment.
President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office, “Any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”
Does the president also know how all African Americans should vote without showing “a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty?”
Does he know how all women should vote without showing “a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty?”
We could go on. Does he know how young people should vote? Does he know how Catholics should vote? Or college graduates? Or high school graduates? Or doctors or soldiers or mail carriers or iron workers or librarians?
Does he know that the only person displaying a “total lack of knowledge” is … him? As well showing a “great disloyalty” to the American ideal that each voter gets to decide on his or her own about who best represents their interests.
U.S.-Israeli relations: Trump, Netanyahu relationship erodes core values of U.S.-Israeli bond: Today's talker
Halie Soifer, executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, put it this way: “This is yet another example of Donald Trump continuing to weaponize and politicize anti-Semitism. At a time when anti-Semitic incidents have increased — due to the president’s emboldening of white nationalism — Trump is repeating an anti-Semitic trope.”
This isn’t difficult.
It’s grotesque. It’s incredibly ham-handed. But it’s obvious.
EJ Montini is a columnist for The Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Follow him on Twitter @ejmontini
What other people are saying
President Donald Trump, news conference: "I can't even believe that we're having this conversation. Five years ago, the concept of even talking about this, even three years ago, of cutting off aid to Israel because of two people that hate Israel and hate Jewish people. I can't believe we're even having this conversation. Where has the Democratic Party gone? Where have they gone where they're defending these two people over the state of Israel? I think that any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty."
Jonathan Greenblatt, Twitter: "It’s unclear who Trump is claiming Jews would be 'disloyal' to, but charges of disloyalty have long been used to attack Jews. As we’ve (the Anti-Defamation League) said before, it's possible to engage in the democratic process without these claims. It's long overdue to stop using Jews as a political football."
Philip Klein, Washington Examiner: "As a conservative, I have found it difficult to get behind Trump despite supporting a number of his policies, and a big reason why is the manner in which he speaks about many minority groups. He has up to this point avoided turning his wrath on Jews, but given his history of flipping on people he views as 'disloyal,' his comments make me wonder what would happen if, as is most likely, Jews overwhelmingly vote against him despite his pro-Israel policies."
Batya Ungar-Sargon, Forward: "Who in the Republican Party — so quick to call out Democrats for their failures — will call him out for this? Who will stand up to him and tell him he’s gone too far? ... Of course, the Democrats are already lining up to condemn the president’s words. But they have been all too reticent to tackle the same problem in their own ranks. ... It’s silly to compare levels of bigotry, especially when Trump’s words have indirectly led to actual murder. But it’s getting to the point where separating out left-wing anti-Semitism from right-wing anti-Semitism feels moot. ... American Jews can no longer ignore the fact that neither of the parties is willing to stand up for us against their own party members. We have been turned into a tool to be used to bash the other side."
What our readers are saying
So voting is about loyalty? Being loyal isn't choosing the best candidate for the job?
— Kathy Pease
I plan to be very disloyal.
— Frank Mix
Trump's comment is about taking issue with voting for a party with congresswomen who support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
— Tom Panmayil
Trump, like so many other Republican lawmakers, seems to confuse opposition to the policies of the nation of Israel with bigoted hatred toward the Jewish religion. They are not the same thing.
— John Thompson
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Donald Trump's 'disloyalty' comments about Jews must be condemned
