Steve Kramer – Is Trump a threat to American Jews?
On Oct. 16, 2022, the Jerusalem Post editorialized: Trump threatens American Jews to ‘get their act together
Read the editorial below…. Then read my letter to the editor printed on October 19. Finally, make up your own mind.
Jerusalem Post editorial
Former US president Donald Trump has appeared to threaten Jewish Americans, calling them ungrateful in recent comments on his social media app Truth Social. On Sunday afternoon, a screenshot of Trump’s post began to circulate on Twitter, from which he is banned, in which he said that “no President has done more for Israel than I have.”
“Somewhat surprisingly, however,” he continued, “our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the US.” Making it clear that his comments were aimed solely at US Jews, he said that “those living in Israel, though, are a different story.”
Continuing to pat himself on the back, the former president added that he has the “highest approval rating in the World,” and that he could “easily be” the Prime Minister of Israel if he so wanted. He then ended his comments by warning US Jews that they “have to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel – before it is too late.”
Despite Trump being banned from Twitter since January 2021, screenshots of his Truth Social post began circulating widely on the social media site, with many people voicing concerns over what they deemed to be an overt expression of antisemitism.
“You really don’t need to read between the lines much on this one,” wrote American political journalist Mattew Yglesias, sharing a screenshot of the post. “Trump has no concept of American Jews as a community that lives and prospers here with an identity and interests that are distinct from the concerns of the State of Israel.”
Others pointed out that Trump’s comments come suspiciously soon after Kanye West – a known supporter of the former president – went on multiple antisemitic rants of his own over the last few weeks. “Here’s Trump adding fuel to the antisemitic dumpster fire by demanding American Jews show loyalty to him because of Israel,” wrote a former member of Israel’s UN team Aviva Klompas on her Twitter page.
Not Trump’s first rodeo
The comments made Sunday by the former President are not the first such comments that he has made on the subject of Jewish people, Israel and Evangelicals. In December 2021, clips from an old interview he held with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid were leaked online, in which he was heard saying that: “There are people in this country that are Jewish that no longer love Israel. The Evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country.”
Truth Social – the Trump social media
Following the events of the Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021, Trump was permanently banned from Twitter, with the social media giant saying it was due to the “risk of further incitement of violence.” In response, Trump launched his own social media platform Truth Social, in October 2021. The platform, which currently works only inside of the US, claims to be “America’s ‘Big Tent’ social media platform that encourages an open, free, and honest global conversation without discriminating against political ideology,” they say on their website.
Kramer’s letter to the editor
Reading this accusatory article by the JP staff purporting that former President Donald Trump is an antisemite was very disappointing. As an American Israeli who supported Trump, I understand his statements. His criticism of American Jews, while overly non-specific, nevertheless rings true. (At least for many of the 75% of American Jews who voted against him.)
Yes, Israel is not near the top of most American Jews’ interests, but many who voted against him bought the near-universal, mass media campaign branding him a racist. In his case, Evangelicals (Christian Zionists) had a more objective opinion of Trump than the Jewish Democrats.
If the writers thought that Trump’s banning by Twitter was proof of his racism, they are wrong. It’s more a badge of honor than an indictment. There has never been an American President more supportive of Israel than Trump. There are many examples, especially the Abraham Accords and the belated move of the American Embassy to Jerusalem – more than two decades after the embassy move was approved and made into law….
Trump puts America first, a good and necessary thing, which includes empowering Israel to protect Western interests from Iranian and other Jihadists intent on destroying the West.
