Trump Accuses American Jews of Disloyalty

In an interview with conservative radio host Sebastian Gorka published yesterday, Donald Trump said that “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.”

If his statement sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because Trump has said this type of thing on numerous occasions in the past couple of years.

On August 21, 2019, in a statement he gave at the White House, Trump said: “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.”

On December 7, 2019, in a speech Trump gave to the Israeli American Council in Florida, he said: “We have to get the people of our country, of this country, to love Israel more, I have to tell you that. We have to do it. We have to get them to love Israel more. Because you have Jewish people that are great people – they don’t love Israel enough.”

On June 16, 2021, in an interview with the Orthodox community outlet Ami Magazine, Trump said: “Jewish people who live in the United States don’t love Israel enough.”

On December 17, 2021, in an interview with journalist Barak Ravid, Trump said: “The Jewish people in the United States either don’t like Israel or don’t care about Israel.”

On October 16, 2022, Trump posted the following to Truth Social: “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. Those living in Israel, though, are a different story – Highest approval rating in the World, could easily be P.M.! U.S. Jews have to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel – Before it is too late!”

On December 9, 2022, Trump made another post on Truth Social: “How quickly Jewish Leaders forgot that I was the best, by far, President for Israel. They should be ashamed of themselves. This lack of loyalty to their greatest friends and allies is why large numbers in Congress, and so many others, have stopped giving support to Israel.”

These kind of statements by Trump have been repeatedly criticized for using antisemitic stereotypes which characterize American Jews as having dual loyalty to Israel. But is that what Trump really means when he says these things? I don’t think so, and here’s why.

Other than praise, the one thing that means the most to Trump is loyalty. Remember, we’re talking about a man who told former FBI Director James Comey that, “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.”

When Trump says these things, he isn’t really talking about American Jews being disloyal to Israel – he is talking about American Jews being disloyal to HIM. He knows he is beloved in Israel, and he is demanding that American Jews give him the same praise.

It should also be noted that the extreme loyalty that Trump demands is a one-way street. Trump’s loyalty to others ends immediately upon what he perceives as disloyalty, which is often defined as receiving even the slightest criticism, or insufficient praise for what he’s done.

And that should be a warning sign to not only Israel, or only to American Jews, but also to the Christian community as well. Because the idea that Trump is a defender of the faith hangs by a very tenuous thread, one that is entirely dependent on him being praised.

You see, in Trump’s eyes it doesn’t come down to defending Christianity or defending Israel. It’s all about himself, and whether others are sufficiently loyal to HIM and give HIM the proper praise.

The moment that Israel and the Christian community stop praising Donald Trump, is the same moment that he will betray Israel and betray Christians so quickly your head will spin. And that’s inevitable, because if there is one thing we know for sure it’s that Donald Trump eventually betrays everyone. ♦