Given the immense crisis that has engulfed the United States in the last several months — not to mention the rest of the world — some might think asking whether President Donald J. Trump is antisemitic is trivial and perhaps even unseemly. (See the NEWS section.) I disagree. Trump’s attitude toward Jews may be yet another piece in the patchwork of bigotry he displayed long before entering the White House and has shown ever since. Despite his once insisting “I am the least racist person you’ll ever meet,” Trump has demonstrated his racial biases over many decades and in many ways.
There was his characterization of Mexican undocumented aliens as “rapists, murders, and drug dealers.” There was his contention — promoted for years — that Barack Obama was not born in America. There was the case of the Central Park Five: Trump refused to recant and apologize even after the young African American men were exonerated of the heinous crime. There was his “s**t-hole countries” remark, lamenting that more immigrants don’t come to the U.S. from Norway. The list goes on and is far too long to summarize here.
Trump’s true attitude about the Jewish people has been slightly murkier. He’s consistently dismissed any accusations of antisemitism by pointing out that his daughter, son-in-law, and grandkids are Jewish. Unfortunately, human beings seem quite adept at engaging in such contradictions — an ability that I refer to as “the good [N-word] syndrome.” A White person afflicted with this malady will say to a Black acquaintance, coworker, or even friend, “I hate [N-words]… but you’re not like the rest of ‘em. You’re OK.” Substitute “kikes” or Jews for [N-words] and you’ve got the Jewish version.
Thanks, but no thanks.
In her perceptive interview currently featured on this website, Professor Amy Elman noted, “We hear a lot from folks who want to support Trump because of his supposed embrace of Israel. But they don’t address the many antisemitic dog whistles that have come from the Trump camp. One need only think of his recent re-posting of a white nationalist screaming ‘white power!’ Such assertions are at once antisemitic and target people of color.”
We must not forget that the “dog whistles” to which Dr. Elman referred have on at least one occasion exploded into a full-fledged, telling foghorn blast. “You had very fine people, on both sides,” said Trump, speaking of the torch-wielding, rabid neo-Nazis who chanted “The Jews will not replace us!” while marching through Charlottesville, Virginia. Indeed, throughout his presidency Trump has pandered to White nationalists and supremacists.
History teaches us that when trading in malevolent conspiracy theories becomes widespread, it never bodes well for the Jews. Trump himself revels in conspiracy theories, as do a great number of his followers. The extreme right-wing group QAnon, which promotes the most bizarre conspiratorial ideas — some of which clearly are antisemitic in nature — and strongly supports the President, is just one example.
Finally, regarding Trump’s much-ballyhooed support for Israel, in my view he has no genuine, deep-seated love for the Jewish state. Moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights —— his two often-cited pro-Israel decisions —— were, I think, the result of cold calculation about what would benefit him politically. Hypothetically, if he were to recalculate and decide turning against Israel would advance his waning political fortunes, does anyone doubt he would do it?
To repeat… thanks, but no thanks.
Lenny Giteck,
Publisher and Editor
Coming next month: the issue of Black antisemitism. Look for it!
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