(JTA) — Former U.S. president Donald Trump launched his latest broadside against liberal Jews — while wishing them a happy Rosh Hashanah.
“Just a quick reminder for liberal Jews who voted to destroy America & Israel because you believed false narratives!” read the text of the image Trump posted Sunday night, near the end of the holiday marking the Jewish new year. “Let’s hope you learned from your mistakes and make better choices moving forward! Happy New Year!”
The image also included a portrait of Trump, the frontrunner for next year’s Republican presidential nomination, against the backdrop of an American flag.
That picture was followed by a list of five actions the former president took that were celebrated by many of his Jewish supporters. Those included moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem; recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; and signing an executive order that expanded the government’s ability to investigate campus antisemitism complaints, among others.
“Wake Up Sheep. What Natzi / Anti Semite ever did this for the Jewish people or Israel?” read the text of the image, which included a number of factual and spelling errors.
It was unclear who created the image — which Trump shared without adding a caption of his own. The post concluded with a heart emoji and the apparently sardonic message, “Clearly, one of the greatest Anti Semites of our time! #Trump2020 #JEXIT.” The second hashtag refers to a campaign to persuade Jewish voters to leave the Democratic party.
Sunday’s post is not the first time Trump has suggested that liberal-leaning Jews — who make up a majority of American Jewry — are working against the country’s interests.
As president in 2019, during a meeting with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, Trump told reporters, “I think any Jewish people that vote for a Democrat, I think it shows either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”
Last October, Trump posted on Truth Social that Evangelicals were more appreciative of what he has done in Israel than “people of the Jewish faith.” He added, “Jews have to get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel – Before it is too late!”
And in December, he took aim at “Jewish leaders” following criticism of a dinner he hosted with the Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and Kanye West, who had posted a stream of antisemitic comments.
“How quickly Jewish Leaders forgot that I was the best, by far, President for Israel,” Trump said then in an official 2024 campaign statement. “They should be ashamed of themselves. This lack of loyalty to their greatest friends and allies is why large numbers in Congress, and so many others, have stopped giving support to Israel.”
On Monday, the American Jewish Committee condemned Trump’s statement on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Claiming that American Jews who did not vote for Mr. Trump voted to destroy America and Israel is deeply offensive and divisive,” the group wrote, urging political candidates to refrain from using incendiary rhetoric.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, also condemned Trump’s comments on Monday, accusing Trump of advancing an antisemitic stereotype that Jews are more loyal to Israel than to the United States.
“It is dangerous and wrong to suggest an entire segment of the Jewish population voted to destroy America and Israel,” Greenblatt said. “Whether or not it’s intentional, President Trump is playing into conspiracy theories about dual loyalty here.”
Greenblatt added that although his organization supported many of the policies listed in the image Trump shared, “ADL doesn’t believe that our community needs to be lectured about how to vote.”
