Donald Trump’s Virulent Antisemitism Was on Display Yet Again this Week

He expects a Jewish "quid pro quo" for his position on Israel and dangerously pinned the blame on Jews if he loses the election.

On Thursday evening, Donald Trump dove further into the sewer of antisemitism than he has previously, not only expressing disbelief that any Jewish voter could vote against him due to his, self-described, steadfast support for Israel, but also claiming that if he does not prevail in the election, “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss.” Trump added that by failing to unanimously get behind his White House bid, Jews were “putting yourself in great danger.”

Any Jew reading this should be on red alert.

Let’s start with Trump’s deeply antisemitic incredulity that any Jew could possibly vote against him because he took actions during his presidency that were favored by the Israeli government at the time. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism states that “[a]ccusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations” is a classic example of antisemitic conduct. That is exactly what Trump is doing. He is directly claiming that Jews determine their vote exclusively on what is best for Israel, not on the best interest of the United States. This libel is the exact same bigoted charge that was made against John F. Kennedy that he would be more loyal to the Pope than the U.S. It puts Jews in the crosshairs of those who are quick to see us as agents of a foreign power with a devious agenda at odds with those of our fellow citizens. It is only one small step removed from the core theme of the Protocols of the Elders of Zions that Jews around the world are engaged in a sophisticated secret cabal to control the world to advance their well-being to the detriment of all others.

And if that is not enough, consider the antisemitism behind the assumption that all Jews think and act alike because they are Jews. This is rank bigotry. Trump shows that he knows nothing about the rich history of Jewish rabbis and intellectuals who have for centuries debated and disagreed about virtually every imaginable topic, including the meaning of virtually every work and phrase of our holy scripture. Of course, it is true that many Jews have a deep connection to Israel, and many believe it is a religious tenet to support the concept of a physical Jewish homeland.  But Jews do not universally agree on even these fundamental principles.  And even among those Jews who consider themselves Zionists, there is a wide range of opinion on what actions we believe are in the best interest of the Jewish state. Shame on anyone, especially a candidate for the leader of the free world, who makes presumptions on what Jews believe solely based on our faith.  

This denial of Jewish agency and assumption of Jewish group-think reflect not only Trump’s lack of education and narrowness of mind, but how he views human behavior as entirely transactional rather than driven by values. Trump has always seen Jews as Shylocks -- the money men and smart crafty lawyers who could get him out of a jam. For Trump, Jews are good for accounting tricks (Allen Weisselberg) or “fixing” problems of a legal and sundry nature (Michael Cohen), services for which he has been willing to pay for handsomely. For him, it is all about the barter. Indeed, he once said at an event for Jewish Republicans “Is there anyone in this room who doesn’t negotiate deals? Probably more than any room I’ve ever spoken [to].” In Trump’s transactional mind, he bought Jewish votes by moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem when he was president.   

But what Trump does not comprehend is that Jews have a diverse set of values. Our attitudes towards Israel and the way we vote is most frequently driven by those values, not who has last scratched our backs. This is true for conservative American Jewish nationalists, pro-Israel humanitarians, and pro-Palestinian Jewish critics of Israel. Our perspective on Israel and the latest heartbreaking travails of the region are driven by the values we hold. Our votes will be too. 

Yes, there are plenty of American Jewish supporters of the current Israeli government’s ultra-nationalist ideology and unapologetically oppressive and violent approach towards the Palestinians. But Trump is deeply ignorant of pro-Israel Zionist Jews, like myself, that have different values. We aspire for Israel to abide by the commitment in its Declaration of Independence to be based on “freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel,” to  ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants,” and “to be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.” We deeply empathize with the plight of migrants because we were once “sojourners in the land of Egypt.” We believe in the rule of law and are horrified by Jewish settlers being permitted to engage in violence against innocent Palestinian civilians with impunity. Because Trump does not share these values, and indeed is hostile to many of them, voting for him is inconceivable, regardless of his stance on Israel. Trump doesn’t get it, but we are not in on the deal he thinks he has made with “the Jews.”

Trump’s lament that Jews owe him their vote is not new. But his comments this week reached new levels of mendacity when he suggested it would be the Jewish people’s fault if he loses the election and that such an eventuality would put Jews in grave danger. From a man who whipped up an angry mob to storm the Capitol based on grievances over a lost election, this sounded more like a threat than a normal electioneering. Jews would be wise to take note.

It would be wrong to paint Trump supporters with an overly broad brush, but naïve to fail to recognize the antisemitic imagery and rhetoric that far too many of his supporters embrace. We saw the “Camp Auschwitz” t-shirt and Nazi and SS tattoos worn by many of the January 6 rioters. We also saw the tiki-torch crowd from Charlottesville, who Trump thought were “good people,” even though they chanted “Jews will not not replace us.” We know the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are still “standing back” and “standing by.” And just this week we found out that the man who Trump lauded as “MLK on steroids” described himself as “a Black Nazi.” In fact, Trump himself has dined and fraternized with notorious antisemites in the recent past. Is it at all difficult to imagine after another unsuccessful election, a bitter, aggrieved and scared Trump turning his anger at Jews who did not give him the votes to which he believed he was entitled? Has he already signaled to his most rabid and violent supporters who to blame if he does not reach the White House again?

Trump has now taken his antisemitism to an unprecedented and terrifying level.