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Donald Trump lashed out at the American Jewish population on Sunday morning for not being ‘more appreciative’ of his administration’s work with Israel.
The ex-president claimed he was so popular there that he could be the country’s next prime minister.
It comes soon after a famous ally of his, rapper Ye who was previously known as Kanye West, was removed from Instagram and Twitter for a string of anti-Semitic comments.
‘No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S,’ Trump said on his Truth Social app.
‘Those living in Israel, though, are a different story – Highest approval rating in the World, could easily be P.M.!’
Trump concluded: ‘U.S. Jews have to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel – Before it is too late!’
It’s worth noting that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is a devout Jew. Trump’s daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism before marrying Kushner.
Donald Trump has previously been accused of spouting anti-Semitism, but his most recent comments come against the backdrop of rising threats to vulnerable groups across the country
Critics on Twitter immediately went after the alarming remarks.
Aviva Klompas, co-founder of the group Boundless Israel, accused Trump of threatening US Jews in his post.
‘And here’s Trump adding fuel to the antisemitic dumpster fire by demanding American Jews show loyalty to him because of Israel. And he tops it all off with a veiled threat,’ Klompas wrote.
Lawyer David Leopold, who served on the Biden-Harris transition team, said: ‘A lot of antisemitism to unpack here. But one thing is clear; Trump has no problem threatening American Jews.’
‘[H]ow extraordinary to hear an anti-Semitic fascist billionaire begging for support from Jews,’ journalist Craig Unger wrote on the platform.
Lawyer Jennifer Taub wrote: ‘Donald Jacka** Trump just threatened Jewish people in America.’
Trump told American Jews to ‘appreciate what they have in Israel’ in his Sunday morning post
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (pictured, far left, with Trump in Israel) is a devout Jew
Trump has made similar religiously divisive remarks, including in 2019 when he called American Jewish voters who supported Democrats ‘disloyal.’
He had been venting to reporters about progressive ‘Squad’ members Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar for their push to end international support for Israel over its treatment of Palestinians.
‘I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty,’ Trump said at the time.
He doubled down on those comments the next day while denying they were anti-Semitic.
‘I will tell you this: In my opinion, the Democrats have gone very far away from Israel,’ Trump said when asked for clarification about the prior day’s remark.
‘In my opinion, if you vote for a Democrat, you’re being very disloyal to Jewish people and you’re being very disloyal to Israel. And only weak people would say anything other than that.’
He was also under fire in December 2021 when told Israeli-based journalist Barak Ravid for his book that it was ‘dangerous’ that more American Jews on the left did not support Israel – again throwing in the ‘Evangelical’ comparison.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who converted to Judaism to marry Kushner, is seen at the unveiling of the US’s embassy in Jerusalem
They also have a close relationship with Israel’s former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
‘It’s a very dangerous thing that’s happening,’ Trump said, according to Ravid.
‘There’s people in this country that are Jewish and no longer love Israel. I’ll tell you, the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country.’
The comments earned backlash from civil rights groups like the Anti-Defamation League.
American Jews have historically been a pro-Democrat voting bloc, a trend that did not change in the 2020 presidential race.
During his White House tenure, Trump had been a close ally of Israel’s then-conservative government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
His upending of decades of US policy in the fragile region – including moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem – earned praise from conservative Jews at home and abroad.
Trump also shared a famously close relationship with Netanyahu himself, with both right-wing leaders often heaping public praise on the other.
In a show of appreciation for his support, Netanyahu named one of Israel’s controversial planned settlements after Trump.
Trump made several pro-Israel moves while in office that were lauded by conservative Jews at home and abroad, including pulling out of the Iran Nuclear Deal (pictured: Trump visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem in May 2017)
But Trump turned against his friend when the prime minister phoned President Joe Biden after he won the 2020 election.
‘The first person that congratulated [Biden] was Bibi Netanyahu, the man that I did more for than any other person I dealt with,’ Trump told journalist Barak Ravid for his book.
‘Bibi could have stayed quiet. He has made a terrible mistake,’ Trump apparently said.
And while not so much a new sentiment, Trump’s Sunday morning tirade comes against the backdrop of a troubling rise in threats and attacks targeting vulnerable groups.
A new wave of anti-Semitism in America has prompted synagogues and other Jewish community centers to be on high alert across the country.
Rapper Ye, tweeted last week that he would go ‘death con 3’ on Jewish people, which got him removed off the site.
Some conservative pundits and members of the fringe-right leapt to his defense, claiming he was censored for exercising his free speech.
It emerged afterwards that an interview he did around the same time with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson was edited to remove ant-Semitic comments.
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