President Donald Trump blurted out another anti-Semitic trope during his brief press availability Tuesday in the Oval Office.
Trump has been having a kind of holy war with Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), two of just three Muslim officials in Congress. When speaking to the press Tuesday, he claimed that Jews have no business supporting Democrats because they're anti-Semitic. But then he took it a step further.
"Any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat -- I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty," Trump said.
Clarifying my tweet: Trump made this "disloyalty" comment after blasting Omar as an antisemite. The Omar controvers… https://t.co/KUFfAQvQ3F— Daniel Dale (@Daniel Dale) 1566331016.0
As New York Times writer Max Fisher noted, "accusing Jews of mass national disloyalty for supporting the wrong political party" hasn't worked out well historically.
The trope has been used for centuries as a claim that Jews are more loyal to each other or to some kind of secret, global Jewish agenda. In the late nineteenth century, Jews were accused of having "true loyalty" to political movements like Marxism or Communism, the Anti-Defamation League explained. That has all morphed into unfaltering loyalty to Israel over any other country, including their country of origin or citizenship.
Jewish Americans couldn't believe that Trump would be so willing to blurt out the trope. In the past, Trump's aides have said that he can't possibly be anti-Semitic because his daughter is Jewish.
Jews supported Hillary Clinton with 71 percent of the vote in 2018. Jews then supported Democrats 79 percent in 2018. The overwhelming majority of Jewish elected officials in Congress are Democrats.
Per 2016 exit polls, voters who identified as Jewish broke 71-23 for Clinton. In the 2018 midterms, it was 79-17… https://t.co/mvF4DXrrqC— Carrie Dann (@Carrie Dann) 1566330050.0
You can see the responses below:
Accusing Jews of disloyalty for not bowing to him is some literal Haman shit https://t.co/dWzo8UzJRc— Orli Matlow (@Orli Matlow) 1566330990.0
Disloyalty to whom? Trump? America? Other Jews? Israel? It's a horrible thing for a president to say no matter how… https://t.co/zoRiuGuQMN— Adam Rothman (@Adam Rothman) 1566330826.0
Trump just called 80% of American Jews disloyal. https://t.co/GIKZhwOuFV— Sophie #DefundNYPD Ellman-Golan (@Sophie #DefundNYPD Ellman-Golan) 1566329596.0
@jonfavs I’m a Jewish American and I am anti-Trump. “fine people on both sides” proved he doesn’t care about the Jewish people— Mike (@Mike) 1566329627.0
Trump continues his campaign against @IlhanMN and @RashidaTlaib , using Jews as tools to promote his white supremac… https://t.co/ikUpX83dxr— Yoav Litvin (@Yoav Litvin) 1566330238.0
The leading, but not the only, candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2020 just accused the vast m… https://t.co/WS6Nl8aHGm— Seth Masket (@Seth Masket) 1566329077.0
Hoo boy, a lot to unpack here. The president of the United States is saying that the primary loyalty of American J… https://t.co/Gt0hQxvth9— David “MAKE YOUR EGGNOG AT HOME” Walsh (@David “MAKE YOUR EGGNOG AT HOME” Walsh) 1566328055.0
context on who Trump is accusing of ignorance and "disloyalty" Gallup: "Jewish Americans were among the least like… https://t.co/XZwhKviBlg— Matt Mittenthal (@Matt Mittenthal) 1566328197.0
Trump: “Any Jewish people that vote Democrat are showing either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.” Al… https://t.co/E6NOQmI8WD— Andrew Wortman 🏳️🌈 (@Andrew Wortman 🏳️🌈) 1566330983.0
