Clinton Mega-Donor Haim Saban: President Trump Not a ‘Nazi or Anti-Semite’

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Haim Saban — the Israeli-American media mogul who backed Hillary Clinton in the presidential election — has come to the defense of President Donald Trump, saying “he’s not an anti-Semite.”

“I disagree with the president with what appears to be a moral equivalence being drawn between the Nazis, who are shouting, ‘Kill the Jews,’ and the protesters who came to counter that statement,” the billionaire Univision chairman told The Hollywood Reporter, referencing Trump’s remarks in which he condemned the neo-Nazis and white nationalist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“I do not believe that President Trump is a Nazi or anti-Semite,” said Saban, a Democratic party mega-donor who has slammed former President Obama’s “biased” action on Israel and who has reportedly called Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) an “anti-Semite and anti-Israel individual.”

After defending President Trump, Saban said Black Lives Matter “is clearly an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel group,” noting the organization’s official policy platform — crafted by more than 50 organizations, known as the Movement for Black Lives — calls Israel “an apartheid state” responsible for “genocide.”

(JOERG KOCH/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. President Barack Obama participates in a conversation with Saban Forum Chairman Haim Saban at the 10th annual Saban Forum, “Power Shifts: U.S.-Israel Relations in a Dynamic Middle East” at the Willard Hotel on December 7, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

Saban was one of the biggest Hollywood contributors to Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential bid, having donated at least $10 million in total both to Clinton directly and through various Democratic fundraising groups.

The Israeli-American entertainment mogul — perhaps best known to the public for producing the children’s television series Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers – is an ardent defender of Israel who often speaks out against politicians he believes are harmful to the Middle Eastern country.

Despite stating that Trump is not an “anti-Semite” or a “Nazi,” Saban has previously been highly critical of the Republican businessman. In March of last year, the mogul called Trump “dangerous” for Israel.

“He’s a dangerous clown,” he told Israel’s Channel 2 of the then-Republican candidate at the time. “Nobody knows what’s going on in his head. One day he supports Israel, and the other he’s saying he’s neutral.”

Saban was also extremely critical of former President Obama when Obama allowed a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli housing construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem to pass last year.

Saban said he was “deeply disturbed” by Obama’s inaction on the resolution and added that it harmed “any long-term prospects for peace” in the region.

 

Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson

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