Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 us news
Wednesday 21 august 2019

Trump: Any Jew voting Democratic is uninformed or disloyal

By JONATHAN LEMIRE and they gone where they are At Trump’s urging, Israel ingenuous attacks on pro- American Jews don’t nec-
DARLENE SUPERVILLE defending these two peo- last week blocked Omar gressive women of color in essarily support everything
Associated Press ple over the state of Isra- and Tlaib from entering the Congress have now transi- that Israel does, nor are
WASHINGTON (AP) — most single-issue voters.
Showing a fresh willingness Recent polling shows that a
to play politics along reli- majority of Jews identify as
gious and racial lines, Presi- Democrats.
dent Donald Trump said According to AP VoteCast,
Tuesday that American a survey of the 2018 elec-
Jewish people who vote torate, 72% of Jewish vot-
for Democrats show “either ers supported Democratic
a total lack of knowledge House candidates in 2018.
or great disloyalty.” Similarly, 74% said they dis-
Trump’s claim triggered a approve of how Trump is
quick uproar from critics handling his job.
who said the president was A Pew Research Center
trading in anti-Semitic ste- poll conducted in April
reotypes. found that among Jewish
It came amid his ongoing Americans, 42% said Trump
feud with Democratic con- is favoring the Israelis too
gresswomen Ilhan Omar much, 6% said he’s favor-
of Minnesota and Rashida ing the Palestinians too
Tlaib of Michigan, both much and 47% said he’s
Muslim. striking the right balance.
Trump has closely aligned Jews were more likely than
himself with Israel, including Christians to say Trump fa-
its conservative prime min- vors the Israelis too much,
ister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the 42% to 26%.
while the Muslim lawmak- Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019, in Washington. Omar was roundly criti-
ers have been outspoken Associated Press cized by members of both
critics of Israel’s treatment parties for saying during a
of the Palestinians. Tlaib is a el?” Trump told reporters in country. Israel later agreed tioned into smears against town hall earlier this year
U.S.-born Palestinian Ameri- the Oval Office. “I think any to a humanitarian visit for Jews.” that she wanted to discuss
can, while Omar was born Jewish people that vote for Tlaib to visit her grandmoth- “It is dangerous and shame- “the political influence in
in Somalia. a Democrat, I think it shows er, who lives in the West ful for President Trump to this country that says it is OK
“Where has the Democrat- either a total lack of knowl- Bank. Tlaib declined, say- attack the large majority of for people to push for alle-
ic Party gone? Where have edge or great disloyalty.” ing her grandmother had the American Jewish com- giance to a foreign coun-
ultimately urged her not munity as unintelligent and try.”
to come under what they ‘disloyal,’” Bayroff said. A This is not the first time
considered to be humiliat- number of groups noted Trump has been criticized
ing circumstances. that accusations of disloy- for remarks seen by some
Trump called Omar a “di- alty have long been made as anti-Semitic. In 2015,
saster” for Jews and said against Jews, including in Trump, then a candidate,
he didn’t “buy” the tears Europe during the 1930s. spoke to the Republican
that Tlaib shed Monday as Ann Lewis and Mark Mell- Jewish Coalition and made
she discussed the situation. man of Democratic Major- a similar comment.
Both congresswomen sup- ity for Israel called it “one “You’re not going to sup-
port the Boycott, Divest- of the most dangerous, port me because I don’t
ment and Sanctions move- deadly accusations Jews want your money,” he said
ment, a global protest of have faced over the years. then. “You want to control
Israel. False charges of disloyalty your politicians, that’s fine.”
Trump’s comments were over the centuries have led Later in the campaign, he
denounced swiftly by Jew- to Jews being murdered, tweeted a graphic criti-
ish American organizations. jailed and tortured.” cal of his opponent Hillary
“This is yet another exam- The Republican Jewish Co- Clinton that featured a six-
ple of Donald Trump con- alition defended Trump, pointed star, a pile of cash
tinuing to weaponize and arguing that the president and the words “most cor-
politicize anti-Semitism,” was speaking about peo- rupt candidate ever.” The
said Halie Soifer, execu- ple being disloyal to them- star was believed by many
tive director of the Jew- selves rather than to Israel. to be the Star of David,
ish Democratic Council of “President Trump is right, it which is featured on the
America. “At a time when shows a great deal of dis- Israeli flag. The campaign
anti-Semitic incidents have loyalty to oneself to defend denied that the star carried
increased — due to the a party that protects/em- any special meaning.
president’s emboldening of boldens people that hate The president first attacked
white nationalism — Trump you for your religion,” the Omar and Tlaib, and two
is repeating an anti-Semitic group said in a tweet. “The other Democratic con-
trope.” @GOP, when rarely con- gresswomen of color, last
Logan Bayroff of the liberal fronted w/anti-Semitism of month by telling them to
J Street pro-Israel group elected members always “go back” to their home
said it was “no surprise that acts swiftly and decisively countries. All four are Unit-
the president’s racist, dis- to punish and remove.” ed States citizens.q