U.S. President Donald Trump has been obsessed with American Jews for some time now. Trump is freaked out by the reformist, liberal, and left leaning constituents of American Jews voting for Democrats. Trump complains that cannot please American Jews, even though he is known as the most pro-Israeli U.S. president ever.
Trump provided Israel with political advantages that it could not achieve even through war. He moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He assigned David Friedman, a private lawyer who defends illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, as U.S. ambassador to Israel, pro-Israel Neocon John Bolton as National Security Advisor, and Christian-Zionist Mike Pompeo as secretary of state. Trump even withdrew from the "Iran Nuclear Agreement" to please Netanyahu. While the U.S. Senate approved a $38 billion aid package to Israel, the Trump administration signed into law bills that aimed to corner Palestinians politically, diplomatically and economically.
Republican Jews and Christian-Zionist Evangelicals love likening Trump to historical Jewish figures. Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, one of the famous financiers of the Israeli Lobby in the United States, even offered to pray for a day using the Bible that included the Book of Trump. The U.S. president loves flattery and has a soft spot for such compliments.
Conservative radio host Wayne Allyn Root said that the Jews regarded Trump as the “King of Israel” and likened it to the coming of the Messiah. "President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world ... and the Jewish people in Israel love him,” Root wrote on Twitter. Trump retweeted Root's words.
Unable to draw American Jews away from Democrats, Trump is targeting the new young deputies of the U.S. Congress, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who criticize Israel. In a recent statement, Trump said, “Where has the Democratic Party gone?” “Where have they gone where they’re defending these two people over the state of Israel? And I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.” Trump's accusation of the disloyalty of Jewish voters who voted for Democrats is fueling the debate on the double loyalty claim used against Jews in America and many other countries.
In the U.S., Jews, who have had long-standing problems with white supremacists, often support the Democrats. Three of the eight members of the U.S. Supreme Court are liberals of Jewish origin. The court is one of the most important stages of the war between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans are trying to change this status quo in the Court.
Trump's discourses that emphasize White Supremacy scare the Jews. Two synagogues have been attacked in the last year. Twelve racial motivated attacks killed 12 people. White supremacists support Trump's anti-immigration policies. Trump, who does not take a clear stance against racism, seeks the votes of both White Americans and Jews.
The estimated numbers of American Jews range between 5.5 million to 7 million. Trump won 200,000 fewer votes than his rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Trump needs American Jews' money and votes in the 2020 elections. Black and Hispanic voters are not expected to vote for Trump. Non-white American voters seem highly galvanized against Trump.
Therefore, the numbers have become even more important for Trump in the 2020 elections. The war Trump triggered through Israel, on the other hand, is increasingly turning into a frontline war between liberal-secular, leftist Jewish democrats and Republican ones.
