Ben Shapiro says Donald Trump's threat toward American Jews 'happens to be somewhat accurate'

19 October 2022

Right-wing commentator Ben Shapiro on Wednesday defended former President Donald Trump's unprovoked threat toward American Jews whom he believes owe him a debt of gratitude for the relationship that he cultivated with Israel during his term.

Trump posted on his Twitter copycat app Truth Social on Sunday:

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!

Shapiro said that he sees no major problem with Trump's complaint.

"The media have been focusing on, yes, Ye's antisemitism but they've also been focusing in, supposedly, on Donald Trump's antisemitism. And this one, I gotta question in pretty serious ways," he stated, describing Trump's gripe as one of his "bizarrely entertaining statements" that was "strange and weirdly timed."

Shapiro was alluding to an interview that Kanye West gave to CNN in which he railed against what he perceives as disproportionate Jewish influence in the entertainment industry. Those remarks came after West was kicked off of Twitter and Instagram for violating their policies against hateful conduct.

Although Shapiro noted that Trump's "truth" was condemned by organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Democratic Council of America, he disagreed with their assessment that what Trump wrote was either controversial or potentially offensive:

I'm confused by the suggestion there is a dual loyalty trope suggesting that American Jews should care about the fate of Israel. They should care about the fate of Israel. I mean, Jews have always cared about the fate of Israel. I mean, the nation of Israel, like B'Net Israel cares about Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel and the state of Israel. They all have the same name. So, frankly, I'm a little confused by people who are wildly off put by the notion that American Jews should be supportive of people who are pro-Israel.

I mean, it depends. Are we talking about ethnic Jews or are we talking about people who actually take Judaism seriously in any way, shape, or form? Ethnic Jews, probably not. I mean, they're just ethnically Jewish. They have a mom who's Jewish or if they're half Jewish they have a dad who's Jewish, whatever it is. But that doesn't mean that you care about Judaism in any serious way. If you do care about Judaism in any serious way, of course, you should care about Israel.

So, Donald Trump saying, I don't understand why more American Jews don't care about how pro-Israel. I was, this, too, puzzles me except for the fact that there are so many American Jews who aren't observant in any way and don't care about Judaism in any way. And just because your name ends in Green or Stein or Blatt or Gold does not actually mean that you practice Judaism in any way or take Judaism seriously in any way. That's the answer to Trump's question. However, the notion that Jews should not be pro-Israel is bizarre to me. Of course, if you care about Judaism you should be pro-Israel. I'm not going to be shy about that. Zionism is deeply rooted in biblical belief.

Nonetheless, this has led the left to label Trump an antisemite. Now, again, Kanye: Jews control the media, are perverting my wife, victimize Black artists, and do so because they are a clever and cunning nation. That's antisemitism. Trump saying I don’t understand why more American Jews don’t care about Israel is not antisemitism. That is just an observation about American Jews that happens to be somewhat accurate actually.

Watch below via Media Matters for America:

READ MORE: How Can Jews Still Be Republicans?

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