This week, former U.S. President Donald Trump said some things about Jews who vote for Democrats during a podcast chat with his former adviser, Sebastian Gorka.
Trump basically said that most American Jews who support Democrats don’t really care about their religion or Israel. He’s referring to a recent report that shows most American Jews like President Biden more than him, and they think Biden supports their religious beliefs better.
But this isn’t the first time Trump has said stuff like this. He’s been saying similar things for years. In 2019, he said Jews who vote Democrat don’t know much or are disloyal. In 2021 and 2022, he made more comments along these lines, saying things like Jews in the U.S. don’t care about Israel or that they need to support him more. And in 2023, he said liberal Jews who didn’t vote for him were hurting America and Israel.
Donald Trump (Credits: FOX 5 San Diego)
This is important because it shows how some people at one end of the American political spectrum see Jews today, and it also tells us about Trump himself.
Instead of accusing Jews of being loyal to another country, Trump is accusing them of not being loyal enough to Israel. It’s like he’s flipped the script on a common stereotype. According to Trump, all Jews should support Israel and support him to be considered good American Jews.
But Trump isn’t the only one trying to tell Jews how they should vote or what they should believe, especially about Israel. Some other politicians, like Elise Stefanik, have also made comments suggesting Jews should support certain political views.
And there are even some right-wing Jews who agree with these politicians. They believe most Jews who vote Democrat aren’t taking their Jewish identity seriously.
But it’s not up to Trump or anyone else to decide what it means to be a good American Jew. Everyone has their own ideas about that.
Trump keeps repeating these ideas, showing us what he thinks about American Jews. He’s basically saying that being a good Jew and a good American means voting for him. But that’s just his opinion, and it doesn’t define us as American Jews.
