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Updated at 2:50 PM ET on November 21, 2024.
Among all the promises From the bizarre promises to the terrifying promises Donald Trump made over the next four years The promise that seemed least likely to be fulfilled was his. wow To “defeat anti-Semitism,” he named a handful of jerks who are affiliated with the oldest conspiracy theory of them all. which is the belief that Jews control the world
During the past decade Harmful lies about Jewish villains have spread into the mainstream of American life. That’s a fact Trump acknowledged when he talked about his plans to Instead, he often focused on issues on college campuses. which is considered an incomplete diagnosis It helps that Trump is oblivious to his own complicity in unleashing the worst anti-Semitic sentiment in generations.
In his first administration Trump has masked hateful rhetoric for his supporters: “very nice people.”–Kanye West and other people– This time, he placed them in the line of presidential succession. If confirmed This team will include the highest-ranking White House anti-Semite in generations.
Take Matt Gaetz, Trump’s former nominee for attorney general. (Getz withdrew from consideration shortly after this article was published.) He was a fierce opponent of Anti-Semitic Awareness ActThis would cut off federal funding for higher education institutions that fail to address anti-Semitic hate when it flourishes on their campuses. There are primary reasons for denying a charge. But in the middle of arguing with it, Gaetz revealed himself: Hey. confirm that the law’s definition of anti-Semitism would punish the belief that Jews killed Jesus; This is not an issue Gaetz made in the spirit of protecting free speech. He believes strongly in himself. “The Bible is clear. There are no legends or arguments about it,” he said. Posted on– This is a total lie. western tradition Anti-Semitism It is a belief that the Catholic Church officially rejected at the Second Vatican Council nearly 60 years ago.
And it’s not a lost expression. In 2018, Getz invite Notorious alt-right figure Charles Johnson will attend the State of the Union address as his guest. Johnson is a textbook example of a Holocaust denier, hey. confirm Only 250,000 Jews died, and only typhus died during World War II. In a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, he wrote that he agreed with commenters that “About Auschwitz and the gas chambers, which are not real.” When confronted with Johnson’s memo, Gaetz admitted that he had not properly vetted Johnson before sending him the invitation. Anyway, hey. tell Fox Business that Johnson “is not a Holocaust denier,” the defense said. Considering all the evidence against Johnson presented to him, It’s equal to certification.
The essence of the conspiracy is the description of the hidden hand, the prevalence of all-powerful perpetrators. That was Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s superior character, he believed. The CIA killed his uncle.and his characteristics Autism and vaccines– In 2023, he was seen in a video saying that COVID-19 Could be a biological weapon Using such a theory should disqualify one from working in America’s health care system. But he went further than that. He said the disease was designed to attack whites as well as blacks. “The most immune are the Ashkenazi Jews and the Chinese.” (In case it is necessary to say this, false.) as a well-trained conspirator He knew to append his theory to a disclaimer, adding, “We don’t know if it was intentionally targeted,” as if he was only asking an innocent question. And when confronted with his own words He denied any malicious intent: “I have never said an anti-Semitic word in my life.”
But his implication echoes the medieval Christian libel that Jews poisoned the wells of Europe and unleashed the Black Death. Kennedy’s wink-wink accusation also mimics the strain of white supremacist pseudoscience that claims Ashkenazi Jews are a different race than whites. According to this strange and strangely widespread thing theoryThat is what makes Jews so dangerous: they can channel white people while conspiring to undermine them.
Not long ago These types of comments can prevent a nominee from being confirmed. Or at least it required an excruciatingly apologetic tour. But anti-Semitism is no longer taboo. And it is telling that Trump hired Elon Musk as a key adviser because Musk is the main culprit in repealing the ban.
When Musk buys Twitter in 2022? retrospective A ban imposed by the company’s previous regime kept denials of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust off the platform. under his ownership Anti-Semitic voices have become unavoidable on the site. broadcast their stubborn theories without fear of consequences
One reason they have little to fear is that Musk has shown empathy for their worldview. like them He spoke of the evil of George Soros, whom he had encountered before. virtual to cartoon supervillain Magneto, a mutant who plans to wipe out humanity. (Like Soros Magneto is a Holocaust survivor.) This comparison is almost a clear admission of the exaggerated depravity of the Jews. And if his feelings weren’t clear enough He emphasized firmly. certified Tweets claiming “The Jewish community has driven … dialectical hatred towards whites.”
For a time, Musk refuted his critics by smearing them. He accused the Anti-Defamation League, the nation’s leading Jewish civil rights group. that a campaign was being orchestrated to finally destroy him, to prevent an advertiser boycott, he apologized His Majesty visited Auschwitzand call yourself”Jew with ambition–
The presence of these conspirators does not mean that Trump will pursue policies that encourage Jewish suffering. His support for Israel may win him more approval from established Jewish groups. On the other hand, the danger posed by his appointees is that having them in high office will increase opposition. America’s Jews are even more permissive. They would make conspiracies about Jews socially acceptable. In fact, that may have already happened. Trump has just presented the most anti-Semitic Cabinet in recent history, and that fact has gone largely unnoticed.
This article was updated following Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal from consideration for Attorney General.
