Leftists Blame Trump for Rise in Antisemitism in Wake of Hanukkah Stabbing Attack

Grafton Thomas (Kena Betancur / AFP / Getty)
Kena Betancur / AFP / Getty
Penny Starr

In the 24 hours since a man attacked a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, New York, the left is blaming Donald Trump for inciting the kind of antisemitism that led to the crime. Grafton Thomas was arrested for stabbing five people and has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder, but some are targeting Trump.

The Washington Post on Sunday cited Trump’s critics in its report on the stabbings:

“Some House Democrats singled out the president for criticism, arguing that he has been insufficiently clear in denouncing anti-Semitism and has frequently perpetuated offensive stereotypes about Jewish people.

Earlier this month, Trump prompted an outcry from Jewish groups after he delivered a speech in which he sought to convince a Jewish audience that they had “no choice” but to vote for him or else they would lose money to Democratic presidential contenders’ wealth tax plans. He also said some Jews “don’t love Israel enough,” echoing a previous statement in which he questioned the loyalty of Jews who vote for Democrats.

The article named one Democrat who blamed Trump directly: Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), another frequent critic of Trump, shared a tweet by a New York-based comedian who argued that the Monsey attack followed “3 years of anti-semitism from the Trump Administration.”

“So sad but predictable. His conduct has made unacceptable conduct acceptable,” Cohen said, appearing to blame Trump in part for the recent rise in attacks against Jewish people and members of other minority groups across the country. “It will take decades to cure.”

Washington Post correspondent and reporter for other leftwing media Mairav Zonszein said she held the White House “directly responsible” for the rise of antisemitism:

“Just to be clear, I hold the Trump White House directly responsible for the increasing violent attacks on Orthodox Jewish people in America. It should be clear now that exceptionalizing Jews — whether in a negative or positive light — endangers us and keeps us forever at risk,” Zonszein tweeted.

“I’m being personally attacked and insulted in what appears to be a coordinated fashion – for holding a president who has empowered white nationalists and normalized antisemitism. I feel threatened and scared as a Jew for the first time in my life,” Zonszein tweeted.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) blamed Trump and Rudy Giuliani on Twitter, linking to an op-ed he wrote in the Jewish publication Forward, including the false claim that Trump has not condemned extremism. 

“Anti-Semitism is on the rise in America. And it’s being stoked by @realDonaldTrump who won’t  condemn it and Trump’s lawyer, @RudyGiuliani, who just this week said he’s “more Jewish than Soros.” ICYMI, my @jdforward op-ed on what we must do,” Swalwell tweeted.

“This isn’t happening in a vacuum,” Swalwell wrote in the op-ed. “It’s happening as President Donald Trump and his allies dabble in hate-baiting propaganda. From refusing to unconditionally condemn the 2017 neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville to accusing American Jewish Democrats of disloyalty, President Trump has tacitly or explicitly empowered extremism in ways not seen in generations.”

Arizona Democrat Nathan Schneider, who describes himself on Twitter as a “universal health care advocate, public education proponent, organizer, campaign manager/regional field director, and former House candidate” blamed Trump for the violence: 

“Trump is directly to blame for this antisemitic violence and if we don’t take drastic steps to address this threat the attacks will become worse and more frequent. #Monsey,” Schneider tweeted.

The Times of Israel cited a Jewish lawmaker who blamed Trump:

Ofer Cassif, the only Jewish lawmaker representing the predominantly Arab Joint List in the Knesset, reacts to the Monsey stabbing by blaming it on US President Donald Trump.

“Hatred of human beings is infectious: Where Trump incites against Muslims and immigrants, anti-Semitic movements will thrive and Jews will be attacked,” he tweets.

“My condolences to the community and wishing recovery to the wounded, and hoping that the world manages to overcome a tsunami of racist hatred.”

The Jerusalem Post predicted this animus against Trump will play a role in the 2020 presidential election:

Those opposed to Trump will surely try to drop the antisemitism squarely at his feet. They will focus on the Jew hatred coming from the white supremacists, the neo-Nazis, the far Right, and say that Trump – with his divisive rhetoric, his use of what they say are antisemitic tropes, and his anti-immigrant policies and actions – has given them a back wind.

They will ignore all Trumps’ statements against antisemitism, all he has done for Israel, his recent signing of an executive order to combat antisemitism on campus, and the fact that he has a Jewish daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. They will ignore all of that and say the antisemitism is his fault.

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