Former President Donald Trump sparked a backlash after he accused “liberal Jews” of voting to “destroy America and Israel” while wishing them a Happy New Year.
“This is just a quick reminder to those liberal Jews who voted to destroy America and Israel because you believe a false narrative!” Trump said on Sunday during the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year and the faith’s highest holy day. Posted on “Truth Society”.
“Hope you can learn from your mistakes and make better choices moving forward! Happy New Year.”
Trump, who is leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination and faces 91 criminal charges in four indictments, has previously said American Jews do not appreciate his record on Israel. The former president has been accused of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes for years.
Weekly newspaper A Trump spokesman was contacted via email for comment.
AFP Photo Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds
In 2019, Trump said American Jews who voted for Democrats were “either completely uninformed or profoundly disloyal,” a comment that sparked an uproar from critics who believed he was exploiting anti-Semitic stereotypes.
He has previously said that the neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia, were “very good people,” and last year he spoke with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes after the rapper made a series of anti-Semitic comments Dinner with Ye (born Kanye West).
This is Donald Trump’s message to American Jews during Rosh Hashanah.
This must be seen as a threat to the majority of American Jews who oppose him and will never vote for him: Join MAGA politics, or the right-wing populist movement will turn against you. pic.twitter.com/CphpRhDE3f
— Joel S. (@jh_swanson) September 18, 2023
Sunday’s Truth Society post included what appeared to be a flyer listing several of Trump’s initiatives related to Israel.
It read: “Wake up, sheep. Natsu what? [sic] /Have anti-Semites ever done this for Jews or Israel? “
Reports indicate that Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “No other president is qualified to do this,” the post said. It asserted that Trump recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and “the settlements of Judea and Samaria,” also known as the West Bank.
It noted that Trump had signed into law the “Never Again” education bill, which provides funding for Holocaust awareness.
“Evidently one of the greatest anti-Semites of our time,” the flyer concluded.
The post sparked a backlash on social media.
Liberal media outlet Meidas Touch said Trump “just attacked and threatened ‘liberal Jews’ on his social media app.” write on X, formerly Twitter. “Trump said Jews voted to ‘destroy America and Israel.’ That’s total Nazi stuff.”
Wow.
Donald Trump just attacked and threatened “liberal Jews” on his social media apps.
Trump said the Jewish vote “destroyed America and Israel.”
This is totally Nazi stuff. pic.twitter.com/wqbXF2Pfyy
—MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) September 18, 2023
Joel Swanson, PhD Candidate in Jewish History and Religious Studies, wrote: “This is Donald Trump’s message to American Jews on Rosh Hashanah. This must be seen as a threat to the majority of American Jews who oppose him and will never vote for him: Join MAGA politics or else right-wing populism The movement will turn against you.”
Amy Spitalnick, CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, wrote Trump marks the end of Rosh Hashanah with anti-Semitic post, accusing Jews who voted against him of ‘destruction'[ing] America and Israel. ‘”
Even by the standards of Trump’s anti-Semitism, this is pretty disgusting. And Rosh Hashanah. We have normalized a very old, very familiar form of anti-Semitic fascism in this country. This is terrible stuff. https://t.co/s0i54NmSz5
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) September 18, 2023
Journalist Mehdi Hassan wrote: “Even by the standards of Trump’s anti-Semitism, this is pretty disgusting. On Rosh Hashanah. We’ve normalized a very old, very familiar kind of anti-Semitic fascism in this country. It’s horrific stuff.”
Brett Meiselas, co-founder of Meidas Touch, wrote “This is an unprecedented horrific moment for Jews in America. This is truly horrific, Nazi shit.”
