US Election: Trump solicits support of American Jews

The United States President Donald Trump have told the American Jews to vote for him if they love their country.

He stated this during a New Year greeting on Monday September 21, 2020.

His statement has however sparked criticisms that he used an anti-Semitic trope.

Suggesting Jewish people have dual loyalties between Israel and their own country is considered anti-Semitic by many.

Whilst speaking to Jewish leaders on the important Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, Trump turned the conversation towards his campaign for re-election as president.

He then stressed the importance that the Jewish people voted for him, warning if he didn’t win then “Israel is in big trouble”.

He said, “And I have to say this, whatever you can do in terms of November 3rd is going to be very important because if we don’t win, Israel is in big trouble.”

“What really amazes me, and I have to tell you because I saw a poll, that in the last election I got 25% of the Jewish vote. And I said here I have a son-in-law and a daughter who are Jewish, I have beautiful grandchildren that are Jewish,” he added.

He said, “If the other side gets in all bets are off. I think it’ll be a whole different story. I think it’ll be exactly the opposite.”

This is not the first time Trump has suggested American Jews have dual loyalties between the US and Israel, in 2019 he accused Democrat-voting American Jews they showed “great disloyalty” to Israel by not voting for him in the previous election.