In an interview with former White House aide Sebastian Gorka, defeated, former President Donald Trump made this claim regarding American Jews who vote for the Democratic Party:
I actually think they hate Israel. I think they hate Israel. And the Democrat party hates Israel. Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.
Where do I begin?
For starters, Jews in this country don't need lectures from someone who breaks bread with neo-Nazis nor someone who saw fit to publicly denounce Israel's leaders only hours after it was attacked by Hamas instead of offering sympathy. Trump is a fair-weather friend to Israel if there ever was one.
Frankly, Trump has no more business telling Jews who vote against him hate their religion than Chuck Schumer does demanding Israel hold immediate elections. It is not the place of public officials or those who seek public office to tell Jews - American or Israeli - how to behave.
As egregious as Schumer's speech was, Trump's crudity will invariably overshadow the Senate Majority Leader's remarks thereby shielding him from criticism. If only Trump could have kept his mouth shut, but prudence is not and never has been one of his strong suits.
Now it is true there are Democratic politicians who are overtly anti-Semitic (i.e. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, AOC and others) and, as a Jew, would be strongly inclined to question any of my fellow Jews who cast ballots for them. Conversely, there are Democratic politicians who are staunchly pro-Israel such as Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and New York Congressman Ritchie Torres. The idea that Jews who voted for Fetterman, Torres and other pro-Israel Democrats hate both Israel and their religion is defamation and thus anti-Semitic.
It is also worth noting that many Republicans in Trump's orbit such as Vivek Ramaswamy, Tucker Carlson, Tulsi Gabbard and Marjorie Taylor Greene have shown themselves to be not particularly sympathetic towards Israel. Again, Trump is in no position to lecture to Jews who vote for the Democratic Party.
And then there is President Biden. I would point out that a critical mass of Democrats voted uncommitted and no preference (as is the case here in Massachusetts) because they believe President Biden to be too pro-Israel, not anti-Israel.
As for me, a Jew living in America, I have reached the stage in my life where I vote for the individual, not the party. While it is very unlikely that I will vote for a Republican again anytime soon, Democrats are not automatically entitled to my vote and there are some I would absolutely not vote for under any circumstances. At least where it concerns the White House, I thought Joe Biden was a better candidate than Donald Trump in 2020 and I think he remains a better candidate now despite occasional disagreements. A vote for President Biden is a vote for American democracy and The Constitution. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for American dictatorship and carnage.
There was a time not so long ago that a Republican presidential candidate could have made an articulate and eloquent case for Israel against President Biden's, Senator Schumer and a critical mass of the Democratic Party's disposition towards the Jewish state and that candidate would very likely have had my vote. But Republicans sold their party to Trump and didn't even get 30 pieces of silver in return. Trump cannot make an articulate and eloquent case for Israel. All Trump can do is cast aspersions on upon Jews who have the good judgment not to vote for him.
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