The short answer is that Trump is a bigot. He lumps people into categories based on their racial profile. This is the simple way that simple people see the world: Jews are money driven; Irish are drinkers; Scots are cheap; Blacks are lazy; Latino's are emotional; Russians are dishonest.
This is the simple right wing view of the world.
15
"There are wealthy Jews who are sufficiently shortsighted, ignorant or arrogant enough to imagine that they can continue to prosper under a white nationalist government."
And in 1942, they had the benefit of being on the last train to Auschwitz.
11
I am reminded of a statement attributed to Richard Feynman
"The error fo anti-Semitism is not that the Jew are not really bad after all, but that evil, stupidity and grossness is not a monopoly of the jewish people but a universal characteristic of mankind in general."
3
Slowly the veneer wears thin as Trump exhibits his naked anti semitism. Jews that fool themselves do so with a high risk of regret. When the gloves come off, Trump, Putin, Erdogan, Orban and the many other autocrats will unite on a wave of antisemitism and rampage the world. Never again won’t quite achieve its timeline.
30
Bad for the Jews? How about bad for the Muslims, bad for the persons that follow Jesus, bad for Eskimos, bad for people with a respect for our laws, the constitution, basic honesty.
Bad for people with a respect for math. Bad for women. Bad for nature. Bad and nothing but, with the exception of regressive corporate swill, right wing Christian fundamentalists, abusers of women, and criminal persons with designs on owning the earth.
And of course a host of other dictators who believe in tearing the world apart in order to control it.
39
Trump is bad news for Jews, Muslims, African-Americans, Hispanics , Asians and Africans. He is bad news for America too . He is bad news for the world except Russia, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Some Jewish people are puzzled by Trump's love for Israel and at the time his antisemitism . When he said something like good people on both sides. that is scary. Jews can not forget white racism and KKK so soon.
21
Mr Krugman, Stop the Hate Speech. It’s time to Move On.
9
Well, well Krugman has finally flipped his Kippah big time. He predicted an economic collapse if Trump was elected and gosh, 3.5% unemployment and economic growth that is envy of the world...leads to...full blown cognitive dissonance. Every American, Jews and non-Jews are better off today than we were 3 years ago. That is why Trump will be and deserves to be, re-elected.
11
Trump is bad for everyone, not just the Jews! He's a horrible person who only has concern for himself and his family.
16
Memo to all Jews:
If you like Trump's Republican Party and are a part of it remember that you are sharing space with neo-nazis, white nationalists and KKKers. Oh yes, and other xenophobes and misogynists and crooks.
18
Any Jew who thinks DT is any kind of friend is seriously confused. Make that meshuggeneh. Think things will turn out well for Israel in the current direction? Think again.
15
Trump is bad for America, the world, and, yes, the Jews.
19
If you only knew what these die-hard Republicans say about Jews behind their backs. It would curl your teeth. The only real purpose for Jews is to build a third Temple in Jerusalem to foster their end-times beliefs. Great bunch of Christians, they are.
Good luck with that.
30
What’s bad for the Jews is the proliferation of Antisemitism.
And guess who the new purveyors of Antisemitism are today?
The Left.
10
Is it just me? The definite article in the headline writer's "the Jews" seems off. Has usage changed? This seems almost a slur. Thought experiment: "The" [ethnic group]...
8
Trump's first economic's advisor is a Jew, yet Gary Cohn remains silent? I guess he's too busy worshiping at the alter of tax cuts.
6
There's a saying, there's a little bit of Jew in all of us, so we're all in the same boat if Trumps gets elected again. On the other hand for those who do not believe, there's a little bit in them, they'll feel content with four more years of chaos, to feather their nest, and to hell with the rest of us.
1
The NY Times reguarly publishes editorials slamming Israel and its various governments in banner backed editorials. It's in-house op-ed columnists, including Tom Friedman, Nick Kristof, Roger Cohen, and Maureen Dowd have teed off on Israel repeatedly, and the paper hosts outside op-ed writers from Mahmoud Abbas to Liberal Paul Krugman and one or two Israeli ultra leftist NYT middle east correspondents writing from Israel. Enough sad, I mean said.
8
When I was 14 (I am now 70), I moved from a working class block in a Park Slope neighborhood (it was once mostly so, young people!!!) that was 3/4's Irish-American, 1/4 Italian-American and 100% Catholic -- just like me -- to a New York City Housing Project in what might most closely be 'assigned' as East Flatbush … a 'Project' that was overwhelmingly Ashkenazi-American and Jewish. (There was never a 'straight shot' from the shtetl to Great Neck, young people.)
I might have had the 'only' "working class" Brooklyn Irish-Catholic father who was a liberal democrat (everyone was a democrat) … but I still like to say (pretty 'honestly') that I moved from one Brooklyn neighborhood where everyone 'shared' my religion, and no one my politics, to another where everyone shared my politics and none my religion!
I stay in touch, regularly, with groups of friends from both neighborhoods -- but I only forward the comments I regularly propose for NYT consideration and publication … and which routinely cast trump as evil incarnate ... to my Jewish friends from childhood and law school, and to the best of my born-Catholic friends from my first years as a lawyer. Oh! … add one WASP! … a "white," 72 year old liberal from Mississippi, no less ('marinated' post-"Ole Miss" at N.Y.U. Law).
3
Question: How can a Jew, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Mormon, Evangelical, Muslim, Buddist support Donald Trump and yet be faithful to their religious principles?
Answer: they all know the answer but many won't admit it.
9
I am a Jew and a Democrat, but I will not vote for a Democrat any more.
The anti-Semitism of the Democratic Party is much worse than Trump. Omar, AOC and Talib are much worse.
12
I had to laugh at the opening paragraph. Having been raised around many anti-Semitic people, it is obvious that trump’s language is more anti-Semitic and delivered in a more direct manner that I ever heard as a child.
Imagine being raised in NYC, having your daughter married to a Jew and then coming forth with such vulgarity. Not only is trump a racist, he’s incredibly ignorant.
Those who continue to support trump are racists, pure & simple.
22
Indian Americans like Jews understand the depth of this administration’s degradation on racial and social justice issues. We do not want to trade saving a pittance on taxes (majority of the tax benefits went to non salaried super rich, mostly white folks, not your average professional upper middle class family) for a world in which our children are disadvantaged due to their ethnicity or the color of their skin.
8
This Jew disagrees. Krugman's offensively mocks us by referring to our tax rate. That's what matters to Jews?
If you have a position and facts, that's an opinion. No facts? That's a belief. The facts are opposed to your position and you hold it anyway? That's messianism. The 2-state solution is messianism. Trump was the first to acknowledge reality, therefore he is not only good for the Jews but also for peace on earth.
In 2000 a 2-state solution was possible. Arafat had a democratic mandate, there was no September 11th, Arab Spring, or smart phones. Arafat said "no", started a war, and lost it. There's no such thing as a limited liability war. Hitler couldn't ask for peace based on the Munich Agreement in April 1945 and we can't return to a plan from 2000.
When he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Trump said the old plan isn't working. He's absolutely right. Clinging to the 2 state dream wasn't doing anything except compromising Israel's security by making them release terrorists as a "confidence building step" which built no confidence.
Removing ourselves from the Iran Deal was the best foreign policy decision of my lifetime. The Iranians are in a terrible financial situation. This reduces their ability to finance terror. Why give them money to make more missiles on which they write in Hebrew, "we will annihilate you"?
Trump has faults, in regards to Israel he made mistakes too. Until Truman comes back, he's the best we've got.
Godspeed Donald!
9
Hooray Paul Krugman!
9
Lets not forget Special Advisor Stephen Miller from a Jewish family who has promoted white nationalist publications and conspiracy theories and associations with fundraising and promotion for immigration policy debates and he loves Trump.
9
As a Jew, I find Krugman’s OpEd offensive and wrong. Trump is great for Jews and I know many who support him. Israel and the Jews are doing just fine thanks.
5
I’m curious to know if Stephen Miller was brought along on this romp and if he was - was he cheered? The people in that room make me ashamed to be a Jew.
8
It is interesting the Jews in Israel love him and the Jews in the US hate him.
What are the differences? Perhaps its that in Israel they are in the front line with a country or two that want them all dead. A mother having to make sure her two kids travel on totally different bus routes to get to the same school because she doesn't want to lose both in one terrorist attack.
In Israeli politics the left is a shadow of itself since the Oslo accords. They bought into that nightmare and ended up with thousands on both sides dead. People don't want a 'deal' with the Palestinians. They want to be safe.
7
Just in The Ten Commandments alone:
I am the Lord thy God! Thou shalt have no other Gods but me!
Thou shalt not commit adultery!
Thou shalt not steal!
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor!
Do not let thyself lust after thy neighbor’s wife!
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, nor his farm, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his!
Trump breaks each one.
6
Yes, Dr. Krugman, Donald J Trump is bad for the Jews, but also bad for women, children, immigrants both documented and undocumented. Trump is bad for business. Bad for schools, our Seniors, let’s face it....Trump is bad for all of us!
Impeach and remove Donald J Trump!
11
He is so bad for everyone, that he should have a warning label across his forehead.
10
I don't think trump implied that jews were money grubbing I think he is saying "vote for me because I won't take your money" It's a straight line message that the next election is going to be played out on. People being worried about the wealth that they have built is real. And to use it to show anti semitism is ham fisted at best. What is sad is that an intellect of Krugmans is used to see a fascist agenda when he should be dissecting the 2016 election loss and what to do about the purple states and to get them to flip blue. I have a Jewish boss, who likes to complain about trump. I had to actually explain to him that under the democrats they would take more of his profits. I mean this guy is a pure capitalist. But he can't help but complain about trump. And for those who think that trump is bad for the citizens of the United States, what he is doing now as to trade will show it's affects in the next presidential cycle. You just don't like him, guess what? neither do I. But try thinking and dealing with WHY he was elected instead of seeing goose stepping brown shirts behind every corner.
5
There is no such a thing as "the Jews". There are Jews. They come in all different flavors and varieties with different views and interests. You know the old joke, 10 Jews in a room, 11 different opinions.
Such an anti-Semitic stereotype!
7
When you write about Omar and Talib maybe I'll listen to you, but until then this American Jew is voting Trump.
7
Mr. Krugman,
The Jews who support Trump do so primarily because of Israel, and not much else.
3
Why is the headline "Donald Trump is Bad for the Jews: There are things more important than your tax rate"??? The headline implies that Jews support Trump because he's good for taxes.......but of course that's precisely the opposite of the article. It should be changed.
4
Donald Trump is bad for everybody!
4
The Trump followers below make an airtight case that Donald Trump has a Jewish son-in-law and Jewish grandchildren.
(slow clap)
2
Most Indian-Americans may vote Democrat but we couldnt avoid Bobby Jindal and now Nikki Haley - Stuff happens!
2
Actually, trump is bad for everyone that isn't trump or Putin.
So, trump's definition of a nice person is one that votes for him. How awful!
Fact is the "money-grubbing types" are all summed up in trump and his ilk, and nothing to do with ethnic group, religious persuasion, skin color, national origin and all to do with innate pathological greed and selfishness.
Political donations to the trump are nothing less than a mere tribute or protection money - that's the extent of influence donations have on the trump. Their donations in no way will control trump. He'll stick it to you regardless of how much you've donated (look at Sundland!) when it is convenient or on a whim just because he's president and we are not.
"Judaism, unlike other faiths, has rarely been a religion of oppression" - the exception to that rule is where Judaism is being used to oppress and conquer adjacent lands from a subjugated population using a religion as a pretext.
On another subject, I would be interested in Mr. Krugman's take on corporate board membership make up, and how someone like Biden Jr is more typical than an exception. Indeed, they're filled with incestuous, good old boys club scratching each other's back regardless of their experience or competence. Indeed, look at the trump kids, all on the board of directors of a now defunct fraudulent foundation with their name on it.
Back to the original subject - NO, Jews are not over-represented on company boards - another trope I've heard.
4
Trump's anti-democratic, white nationalist regime is also about extortion, using public office for family and personal enrichment, and war on science, facts, and all protections for the environment and the less privileged in society. In this gangster approach to running the country and international relations, the demented king still remains canny enough to care obsessively about making money and satisfy his patron in the Kremlin. The xenophobic, white nationalist agenda - consistent with Trump's native ignorance and prejudice - also seems at least in part scripted in Moscow to rally the target group for the fake news and vicious propaganda peddled through Fox News.
4
One thing that's even more insidious than "Ignore the bigotry and look at the taxes you're saving!" is "Ignore the bigotry and look at your stock market returns."
3
I agree taxes are not bad who made them bad? And why don’t people want to pay their fair share
1
Re: the headline ("Donald Trump is Bad for the Jews"): I can't imagine a headline that would say "the" Christians. This construction renders Jewish people as the "other," in my opinion. We'd immediately react to it as awkward and biased if the headline said it was bad for "the" blacks, or "the" gays.
If one is talking about "the Jewish people," that's different.
Perhaps i'm nitpicking and I'm not sure i've even thought about this before (I am Jewish), but i think this is something to consider.
I've noticed the Times often changes its op-ed headlines as the day progresses, so I've put it in at the top to show how it was as i wrote this!
3
Welcomes Jewish daughter, son-in-law, grandchildren
Moves embassy to Jerusalem.
Remembers Israel is our ally, reversing course of Obama administration.
Bad for the Jews. I don't think so.
Also. thanks, Mr. K., for once again falsifying what Trump said about Charlottesville. That and this rather simple-minded little essay remind me that the true locus of anti-semitism has, in fact, moved to the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party. And some Jews are its biggest supporters.
7
"There are things more important than your tax rate."
As others pointed out, a poor choice of subheading for this article. Fanatical, monomaniacal opposition to and hatred of taxation is something I most closely identify with people like the lobbyist Grover Norquist--a man who is very much not Jewish.
Wow! In reading the comments here, it's clear that Krugman just hit the mother load of Jewish contempt for and fear of flyover country gentiles.
The Charlottesville reference was cheesy, cheap and wrong. I was home bound that day so I had the news on in the background while I was working at my desk. Trump was clearly referring to good faith people on the ground that day (not the tiki torch crowd) who were against the iconoclasm of tearing down monuments to the past that had stood for generations. Even if those who originally put them up were dead wrong, tearing the statues down denies current and future generations of understanding the history of an age by denying them access to a significant artifact loaded with relevance into how people of one age (mostly the 1920's apparently) looked at their own history.
Understanding history is as much about understanding how the past looked at its own past as it is about verifying the facts of any age. A lot of the biggest mistakes of history, as Jews should know more than anyone, were based on misunderstanding the past - blood libels were not based on current events, they were based on falsehoods about past acts.
4
I disagree.
He's the best politician in my lifetime not only for the Jews but for all Americans
4
Donald Trump is bad for all good people, regardless of their religious or ethnic origin. He is the personification of evil intent.
5
As I see it, the political dilemma for the Jews is this.
(1) Israel cannot refuse the President's friendship anymore than the baker in the Godfather can refuse Don Corleone's friendship.
(2) The political left, which rightly despises Trump, increasingly hates Trump's "friends" the Jews and Israel.
(3) This applies not just to Trump's forced friendship on Israel but also his friendship (like most New Yorkers) with many Jews. (He's not from Mississippi or Georgia, you know.)
(4) Jews are caught in the middle, in an increasingly polarized Christian-dominated society. They are caught between the right-wing anti-Semites and the left-wing anti-Zionists.
(5) It never ends well for the Jews.
5
I take issue with the headline of Dr. Krugman's opinion piece, "Donald Trump is Bad for the Jews," in this regard. True though the headline is, it should be remembered that Donald Trump is Bad for All Americans.
6
As a person of Jewish heritage I'm ashamed 17% voted for Trump. The number should be 2%.
7
Mr Krugman, you seem to have forgotten a major factor of the Jewish culture that explains the bias toward democratic vote: and that is Education.
4
Did you really, actually think we hadn't noticed on our own? Did you think ~70-80% of the Jewish vote going for Democrats each election came out of nowhere?
3
Trump anti-semitic? Here is a quote from Rolling Stone Magazine, June 15, 2016.
"In a 1991 book, one of Trump’s former colleagues recalled him saying, “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are little short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.” (Trump called the things written about him in the book “probably true.”)"
(He is probably referring to the counting of his casinos receipts, of which several went bankrupt.)
This is ironic since at the same time he demeaning Orthodox Jews, he needs their honesty.
2
We are all Jews. We can all be hurt by a police state. We must vote Democratic to preserve the principle of law and the freedom of the individual from oppression by the state.
You are not safe because you support Trump. He can turn on you on a dime and if you ever do his bidding, the chances are that you have done something illegal. Vote BLUE no matter who.
4
Krugman - the same Krugman that swore - swore - that the minute Trump won the US stock market would crash?
The same Krugman who said the economy would be torn asunder?
The same Krugman who said the US would be buried by Iran, N Korea and the rest of our enemies?
And the same Krugman who said our allies would never work with Trump?
THAT KRUGMAN?
So it is "chilling" with talk of white nationalists? What?????
The same Trump the very same NYTimes wrote glowing articles and sections on his wonderful success in Manhattan?
If there ever was a glaring example of how out of touch the elitist mentality of NYC is - today we see it all.
Impeachment? Are you still in dreamland Democrats?
And then Krugman?
The only future we will enjoy is more of the same - Trump will undeniably win 2020 and most likely see the Senate retained and the house retaken.
Lies don't win votes. Apparently, rank and file Democrats haven't figured this out?
And their ego's are too big to accept the fact they bought one left win lie after another - and still do. Hook, line and sinker.
3
The way I read this is that Krugman believes that anyone who does not agree with his opinion here deserves his contempt. And that's very sad.
4
Donald Trump is odious for the things he says and does.
.
Having said that, I wonder how to deal with some of the things that Trump does that I agree with. For instance, his stance on the Iran agreement on nuclear energy development. I sincerely believe that Iran intends to develop nuclear weapons and was trying to use the Obama's deal to advance advance its economy in preparation for building a nuclear weapon capability.
On the Middle East and Israel, I condemn both Trump's racism and Netanyahu's corruption. However, I believe that a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem does not lie in a "two state solution" but in a three, four or five state solution with Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon - possibly including some kind of autonomy for a Palestinian territory. I do not consider not having a formal "Palestinian state" equivalent to "oppressing" the Palestinians as does Krugman.
Further, the overwhelming amount of belligerent violence come from the Palestinians - not from Israel. Israel's acts violence are overwhelmingly in self-defense against Palestinian aggression.
6
I wish that reporters would stop referring to THE Jews. It make Jews sound like a monolithic subset of Americans which, like any other religion, they clearly are not. One reads of Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, usually without the THE in front of them. Please, Paul, why not just "Trump is bad for Jews" (as well as for every other sentient being within his malignant reach - and that includes all of us.)
17
@JWT, there's an old colloquial phrase among we Jews. We say, "It's good for the Jews" or "It's bad for the Jews." Half the time it doesn't even literally mean Jews, but rather some group to which one belongs. It could be used to say, for example, its good for our basketball team or its good for the people who live on our block.
So, Krugman was just making a play on words that might not be obvious to someone in the Republic of Vermont.
7
Trump is supported by the Chabad sect which is ultra-orthodox and ultra-right wing. And his go-between is Jared Kushner.
155
@RLJ — Trump is also supported by a host of right wing Christian Evangelicals and numerous officials in this administration, most notably Mike Pence serve as conduits to promote America’s conversation to a Theocracy.
That said, Krugman is asserting that within religion as in class there is spectrum of political belief.
It’s worth noting that Trump’s policies toward Israel also serve not only the ends of far right politicians there, but also the vision of far right evangelicals in setting the stage for the End Times.
51
@RLJ
The Chabad rabbi I know is certainly not pro Trump; and in at least some senses Chabad is on the liberal side of "ultra-orthodox."
I attended seders at my mother's relatively expensive, primarily Jewish, assisted living housing last spring. Passover is at least partially to reflect on the entire history of the faith, including the present day, and so the rabbi asked for examples of current day plagues. I was surprised at the seemingly universally favorable response to the women that answered "Trump."
24
@RLJ
RLJ, would you provide some documentation that Chabad organizationally and/or its leadership supports Trump.
3
I write to contribute two unique suggestions. First, when the Dear Leader of the American People told the audience that many of them were greedy and unprincipled participants in New York real estate, perhaps he was trying to emphasize that he really did have something in common with them. After all, given his own record, we certainly can conclude the president admires all forms of unprincipled conduct
Also, I think we should reserve the option of changing our minds about the presence of anti-semitism in American political life until after the political conventions end. Between B.D.S., the Squad, and some of the flamboyant members of the House of Representatives,, we may yet see a display of such bigotry from the other side of the political spectrum.
2
Trump will be all things to all people. So much a person of reality TV, and in his words' Like you wouldn't believe. ' What a noxious opportunist. Plays to the most base things. And as noted, to the most base instincts of the most base types around.
1
Mr. Krugman, the subtitle of your wonderful piece, "There are things more important than your tax rate," undermines it by appearing to peddle in the very stereotype you oppose. I recommend it be changed so that your message comes through loud and clear that Jews are not what our worst critics say about us; quite the contrary, as you point out.
7
Trump is bad for everyone whether they know it or not.
8
As a member of the Tribe, I am often driven to distraction by how certain (but certainly not all) fellow members--all wealthy to a person--make excuses for Trump. "There are more anti-Semites on the Left!" they cry.
"If the Democrats get power, Israel will cease to exist!" they yell. Discounting the fact that both of these are demonstrably false, ignoring the fact that white supremacists feel more emboldened than any time in recent history, the willful ignoring of Jewish principles--to seek justice, to love mercy, to take care of the widow, the foreigner, and the orphan--is inexcusable.
There is hardly anything less Jewish than supporting a cruel, egotistical, and anti-Semitic would-be authoritarian. Why don't my co-religionists just say that instead of buying into our traditions of kindness and caring for the community, that they prefer the tradition of negative Jewish stereotypes, i.e. , that they love their money more than they love Jewish values.
7
Oh please, Krugman.
Not the old "everyone is picking on the Jews again" routine.
Judaism is a religion, and Jews are not a special interest group.
Policy applies to the population in general and as a whole.
Policy vis-a-vis Israel is a matter of interests; the Israelis are always touted as our best allies but the facts prove that it is at beas an on-off-on again relationship, with the ruthless part coming from their side and not ours.
Geezers remember the USS Liberty episode, although that situation was fluid, but there have been many, many other situations where unilateral Israeli action worked directly against US interests.
1
This addresses arguments that Krugman didn’t make. Whether Israeli policies have or have not been good for the United States was not the subject of the piece. (That said, if your position is that it’s often bad, you might well oppose a president whose position is that to oppose the current Israeli leader is to be anti-Israel.)
Whether “everyone” is picking on the Jews was also not the subject of his piece. The subject was the president and his way of reducing people to stereotypes. The piece did imply that he may encourage others to believe the same way. But it’s bad regardless.
2
As an Asian American who has many Jewish friends and colleagues, I wholeheartedly with Krugman's essay. I was a registered independent for many years. But just a few weeks ago, I finally registered as a Democrat.
6
Most people should realize that Trump is bad for America and bad for the world, regardless of their tax bracket, including the very wealthy.
The climate emergency we're now in should convince even the Koch brothers that the economic welfare of the world is on the line. Good luck eating their dollars and drinking their oil.
4
Why should we expect any more from Trump than we would a leopard. Neither of the two can change its spots. However, at least the leopard knows its limitations. Trump has no idea what his so-called policies have done to destroy the world we live in and the way that we live in it.
5
The paradox is that Trump is bad for the white people that elected him and continue to support him. He is good only for the rich and the religious right that opportunistically and hypocritically (but not surprising given their religious thinking) support him. He is the warfare and class war warrior that uses any means to keep reach people in power and the poor subjugated economically and culturally.
4
Paul is far from the first individual, Jewish or otherwise, to note that Trump is an unrepentant anti-Semite. He is also not that first to contextualize Trump's Jew hatred as but one component of his overriding racism. Racism is to anti-Semitism what migraine is to cluster headache (although that itself is worthy of argument) but that aside from the horrid pain they produce, they are in almost every way possible completely different animals). I have certainly yet to come across a single commentator outside of the Jewish literati who will restrict a discussion of Trump's anti-Semitism or anti-Semitism in general to anti-Semitism specifically.
1
I agree with all of Paul Krugman's points. However, almost all the Democratic candidates are either neutral toward Israel or are overtly anti-Israel. How can we Democrats improve US-Israel relations?
4
Trump is bad for all the people....63 million voters who supported him need to figure that out before 2020.
IGNORANCE is so contagious and feeds the wrong part of the brain.
Will democrats have the right appeal...the right candidates ?
They certainly missed it with Hillary- easy to misunderstand and dislike .....make int easy for people to see what is in their best interests ....Trump does it every day.
3
My elderly Jewish neighbors have criticized both FDR and Jimmy Carter as anti-Semitic, excoriated Obama as a Muslim, but think Trump is the greatest. I've learned to avoid politics with them, as I wouldn't know where to begin.
1
Thanks for the numbers.For the past 2 years its been the same scene:A large press gathering and offhand remarks by the POTUS on key policy moves by the US Government then buttressed by bogus factoids by the President going uncontested for hours or days before a rebuttal by a person of expertise like yourself. Of course by this time Trump has snatched more low hanging media fruit and the rolling parody of the 3 stooges routine which is what American politics, domestic and especially as concerns me foreign,writing as a Canadian.
I can only parrot a media tagline from Trumps 2016 campaign:"sad"......
He's a useful idiot to Israel.
3
@amjo If moving US embassy to Jerusalem is useful idiocy then long live the useful idiot.
2
Krugman is simplistically wrong, when he says, "I think ... Judaism, unlike other faiths, has rarely been a religion of oppression — but that the reason was simply lack of opportunity,...."
Perhaps Krugman may even have it backwards. Perhaps the Jewish people have exceedingly rarely had the opportunity to oppress others precisely because their values and culture do not seek to put themselves in that position.
From my experience with Jews and Judaism, it seems to me that more than a simple lack of opportunity is needed to explain the relative lack of acting as oppressors in their history. The people and the faith (both in general, of course) possess an inherent predilection to question, something fundamental to the religion itself, especially contemporaneously. People who ask questions are less likely to have their behavior defined by demagogues and simplistic reasoning and more likely to demand a rational explanation of claims that might "legitimate", "justify", encourage, or condone oppression. And most oppression is based on non-rational claims, emotional make-believe as it were.
8
Not to put too fine a point on this, and I would certainly never disagree with Paul Krugman, but Trump is bad for everyone and everything: largest deficit ever, ruining the environment, debasing the US on the World stage, ridiculing those with handicaps, denigrating the FBI, belittling the military and ruining unit cohesion and discipline, taking a hatchet to our social safety nets, colluding with Russia. The list is endless! The only reason evangelicals support him is because of judicial appointments & because they believe he will bring about the End Times & they’ll all be raptured to their heaven! He is, in no uncertain terms, a complete and total unmitigated disaster for us all!
7
The Israeli American council does not represent the American Jews. It’s a minority right wing mostly messianic orthodox group financed by Sheldon Adelson whose main goal is to expand the Israeli settlement and Israeli right wing and view Trump as an asset to further their goals even when he contributed to the rise of antisemitic attacks. They also support Netanyahu to further their messianic goals and prevent the two state solution and thus in a perverse way contribute to slow destruction of Israel as a refuge for the Jewish people. They also do not realize that the minute it serve his own financial and political interests he will drop them like the Kurds.
18
@Dr. Michael
Thank you for that information. I found it puzzling why he was even invited and now I know why
2
"Judaism, unlike other faiths, has rarely been a religion of oppression — but that the reason was simply lack of opportunity" Really? the fact that an Israeli says this (I am assuming secular) doesnt make it right, and it is a poor point to make, possibly a damaging one, in an op-ed about anti-semitism. The fact is that as a religioun, Judaism has always been for the rights of the oppressed in its society, going all the way back to ancient Israel. The mitzvah to not oppress the ger the "other" is the most frequently stated commandment of Judaism.
Israeli governments do not represent the Jewish religion. If Krugman wants to criticize the right wing govt of Netanyahu for oppressive policies, fine, but that is debatable, especially in light of how Arabs have oppressed Jews in Arab lands. But please dont conflate their policies with Judaism itself, that is just plain wrong. Like Krugman, I am against the Israeli right wing, and I wish we could resolve this conflict for the benefit of all parties especially the Palestinians. But, given our history of anti-semitic persecution and genocide, and the blood of Jews spilled in the conflict, not to mention the rejection of at least three compromise offers for peace by Palestinian Arabs, I can understand why they have been elected time and again by Israelis. To make peace, you have got to want peace.
8
Paul Krugman is massaging the data again. Remember that Krugman's article is about Donald Trump and how he is "Bad for the Jews." But then, in a classic bait and switch, he reports the party votes in last year's midterms, not the vote for Trump in 2016.
Did rich Americans vote for Trump in 2016? Here is how Cornell Professor Robert Frank (in the NYT in 2016) reported polls of the top-earning households' voting intentions. The rich supported Clinton over Trump by two to one. "The July Affluent Barometer survey by Ipsos found that among voters earning more than $100,000 a year — roughly the top 25 percent of households — 45 percent said they planned to vote for Mrs. Clinton, while 28 percent planned to vote for Mr. Trump. The rest were undecided or planned to vote for another candidate."
But it gets better. "The spread was even wider among the highest earners. For those earning $250,000 or more — roughly the top 5 percent of households — 53 percent planned to vote for Mrs. Clinton while 25 percent favored Mr. Trump. The survey’s margin of error was plus or minus four points."
What about billionaires? How do they lean politically? Quora checked the top 100 individuals donating to outside spending groups against the Forbes list of the world’s billionaires and found that 22 were billionaires. Of the 22 billionaires, 13 -- or more than half -- gave predominantly to liberal groups or groups affiliated with the Democratic Party.
8
@Ian Maitland Hmmm my data is different.
https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/how-groups-voted-2016
https://www.cnn.com/election/2016/results/exit-polls
Doesn't matter who you give to, it matters who you vote for. I would be willing to bet that most of the upper income brackets donate to both parties.
I very much resent that the gentleman pictured wearing a
kippah with Trump's name on it as disrespectful. President Trump's actions and pronouncements support bigotry, dishonesty and many of the traits that most of us regardless of party would not sanction. The religious purpose for his covered head it to demonstrate respect for and in honor of the highest ideal of man's concept of God. Only man has modeled that idea in human terms for his own selfish motives.
15
Which is why a kipah with trumps name on it is so loathsome..... if I believed in god I would be appalled..... sine I am just a Jew who finds religion ridiculous, I am just amused by the idea that one can believe in god, be a Jew, and support the immature tyrant in the WH
2
Were the GOP was headed by a more traditional Republican, like Romney or Bush, they might well look forward to getting 35-40% of the Jewish vote next year, especially if the Dems move farther left. In 2012, Romney got 30%.
3
Are you suggesting that Jewish families have no problem paying high monthly insurance premiums, high copays, high deductibles, and buying the most expensive drugs on the planet? Jewish families don’t have any trouble paying high interest student debt?
1
If any Jewish person thinks Trump will do right by Jews because of his son-in-law, just consider how Trump has treated other people. His favor shifts at a moment's notice. And considering Trump's views about Jews is unfavorable in general, I would be very nervous about what the future would hold in a second Trump administration.
21
For those rationalizing their support for Trump based on his perceived economic performance, consider these facts:
1. Budget deficits in 2018 and 2019 up 60% vs. continuation of Obama policy.
2. About 2 million more without health insurance so far, with 2017 the first year with an increase since 2010, thanks to Trump’s ACA sabotage.
3. Real GDP growth averaged 2.6% in Trump’s first 11 quarters, same as Obama’s last 11.
4. Job creation in Trump’s first 34 months averaged 178,000/mo, versus 227,000/mo for Obama’s last 34. The total number of persons with jobs has set records each month since May 2014, so the recovery was well into record territory when Trump took office.
5. Real wages grew faster in 2015-2016 under Obama than 2017-2018 under Trump.
6. Trump cut taxes for the top 1%, while under Obama the average tax rate on the top 1% rose 5 percentage points.
7. At this point in their Presidencies, stock market up a cumulative 44% for Obama vs. 38% for Trump.
Just the facts...
31
@David Doney
Watch out. Not only did Donald inherit an already booming economy (from someone whom he said was not born In The USA) but he inherited a massive personal fortune from someone he said was born in Germany but actually WAS born in the USA. Watch out because the squandering of his personal fortune led to his dependence on Russian money.
True to form, the squandering and despoiling of American resources has already started. He has gone on from sending casinos broke and is now in the process of squandering the USA, USA, USA, USA.
The Dems need to learn to control the narrative because so far the GOP (Grand Old Politburo) have slam dunked the innovative notion that 4+1= 6. Trump thinks 4+1= millions and millions. The Dems have lost out on the boring idea that 4+1= 5.
15
The NY Times' sub headline of this article "There are things more important than your tax rate" is equally as bad as Trump's remarks. The NY Times is just reinforcing the stereotype with that sub headline.
21
@RHA It's an op-ed piece, not an article.
Paul.
He's bad for Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, and Atheists. In other words, he is bad for humanity.
62
He's bad for the poor, the disabled, the working class, the middle class, minorities, and any American who wants to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and develop ways to move away from fossil fuels.
2
What is wrong with you Sir? What did Bernie do to you? Or are you just a poor soul who is afraid of his shadow? As a fellow Cohen I will pray for you. Not much else I can do. Sorry.
Is the title something which needs repeating? Is this some new revelation? Of course not.
Obviously, Mexicans are the current scapegoat of choice for this administration, but keep in mind that we Jews are always in the bullpen sitting on our hands if another scapegoat/distraction is required.
13
OK Professor that is step one.
Step to is your saying “Bernie is Good for Jews, Gentiles, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos, LGBTQs, Economics Professors, Mathematicians, Women, Children and the rest.”
Be a mensch. Support The Mensch.
Thank you.
11
Trump not good for the Jews? And this is news how? I seem to recall telling my friends this even before he was elected.
13
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/01/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-70-percent-tax-cannot-finance-socialism/
My take on his comment has to do only with how so many Jews support the socialist radical leftists who hate Israel and want to raise taxes to such high levels it would destroy this country (as described in the link above). It's not anti-Semitic at all. Krugman even asks if he was "peddling anti-Semitic stereotypes," questioning the intent of the comment.
The comment has to do with policies that threaten us all, not just wealthy Jewish people. For Krugman to make it an "anti-Semitic" comment is, rather, to me, saying more about his own hatred of Trump, trying to promote division by excluding the obvious consequences of raising taxes.
Finally, prior to the Trump presidency, the NYT's published an article years ago entitled "Capitalists and Other Psychopaths" [May 13, 2012) that was distinctively anti-Christian, which I wrote about here https://hubpages.com/politics/Response-to-Capitalists-And-Other-Psychopaths
The bottom line is that there are two forms of governing at war here with disagreement on the best way to run this country that shouldn't include reference to "religious" affiliation.
Finally, it is more often the socialists who falsely accuse those with better ideas as racist or anti-Semitic simply because their policies fail in the long run and they need to silence those who speak of policies that will not.
6
So Americans can never have what citizens of every other first world nation have had for decades. And btw my European relatives pay the same tax rate I pay. Only they get something for their tax dollar. We get a bloated military industrial complex—and we get to give billions to Israel ( who enjoy free health care for all).
1
@Cynthia And you believe the National Review? Quaint. Reactionary. Utopian. And unfailingly wrong.
1
@Cynthia
It actually has do with the fact that the people in this country who wave swastika flags, worship Hitler, bombard college campuses with anti-Semitic propaganda and massacre Jews in their temples, are Trump supporters or use his verbatim rhetoric as their rationale. But nice try.
2
Anyone who opposes discrimination based on race or religious beliefs, political pandering to purveyors of hate, and a constant stream of insults and lies, must vote for Democrats in November.
19
Bad for Jews?!?! Of course he is, but that impact pales compared to how bad Trump is for:
-People on Food Stamps
-Kurds
-my grand children
-Palestinians
-99% of people who toil in our intelligence agencies
-Ukrainians
-Those who hold our Constution dead
-Immigrants - especially dreamers
-Nato allies
-and me!
20
Krugman has been wrong about Trump from day 1. So why not cast him now as an anti-semite. Look, Trump has been accused of being a white nationalist, a racist, a bigot, a Nazi sympathizer, a misogynist, and those are the accusations that can be pass muster for printing in the N.Y. Times. So next are the accusations against the 63 million Americans that voted for him in 2016. The labeling strategy didn’t work for Clinton in 2016 just as it’s not working now for African American voters (34% approval) or Indian Americans after Modi’s visit or Asian Americans after Harvard and di Blasio. And for Jews? Listen to Sanders, Warren, or Mayor Pete and their supporters - AOC, Kerry, Sarsour, Omar’s, Tlaib and think seriously about what’s good for Jews.
14
I’m Jewish and everyone in my family is voting for Bernie. We think Americans should have what Israelis have, that is, free health care for all and highly subsidized university education.
1
@Martin Gray
It's such a mystery as to why anybody would think he might be a misogynist. What evidence could they possibly have? It looked like he really appreciates women going by the video of him with Geoffrey Epstein studying them closely. How many guys would bother to maintain a relationship with 3 women at the same time? Melania, Stormy and Karen are proof that he is not a misogynist. Donald loves women... lots of them. Ask Billy Bush.
1
Another broad-stroke from Krugman, who said if Trump were elected, the economy would completely collapse. Since the election of Trump, the economy and employment rates have never been better. Krugman can make any sweeping negative generalization about Trump, be completely wrong about it, make no apologies for it and suffer no consequence. It's a rather cushy job, which many of the NYT's columnists are enjoying in the age of Trump.
7
Difficult to appreciate why the US, or Krugman for that matter, would support a religion-based Apartheid country, much less associate with that country’s chief lobbying arm. Say what you will about our founding fathers, but George Washington was absolutely prescient and correct in his farewell address when he advised against “a passionate attachment of one nation for another”; the “variety of evils” he warned of regularly manifest themselves.
5
As a former yeshiva student, I am well aware of the world view. IMHO, those in the Jewish world who have embraced Trump fail to realize that eventually, he will turn on them, as he has on every one else.
We Jews are simply not used to having allies in high places, and with the frisson that comes with proximity to power, and having powerful friends, they fail to heed their own tradition-Mishnah Avoth 2:3 "Be careful with the government, for they befriend a person only for their own needs. They appear to be friends when it is beneficial to them, but they do not stand by a person at the time of his distress."
11
@Bruce Brown, MD Or, for that matter, from the daily morning prayers recited in yeshivot every day, from Psalms:
Do not trust in princes, in the son of man in whom there is no help.
3
Bottom line, Trump is bad for everybody. Working against the increasing reality of climate change, having his EPA rollback pollution regulations, etcetera, sooner or later this will affect everyone. Pollution and a harsh climate won't care what your ethnic background is, nor how much or how little you've paid in taxes. Those that profit from all of this will find themselves just as dead as everyone else. And for what?
10
As you note, no group is immune to fools.
The wonder is a generation who was whelped on Leon Uris's "Exodus," which was more history than novel, could make the same mistakes its parents made with respect to demagogues and the threat they pose.
6
Does anyone have an explanation for Stephen Miller? He is now on record as a White supremacist; how can this be? He is Jewish. Do any of his pals cherish a fond hope to burn a cross on his lawn one day? And, if so, how come he hasn't figured that out? (I'm not as surprised that the Kushner family haven't talked Trump around on the issue of Antisemitism--they're such freewheeling opportunists that I doubt this sort of thing actually bothers them.)
13
Donald Trump went so far as to accuse Jews of disloyalty if they didn’t support his agenda. He doesn’t even hide the anti-Semitism.
13
The concept, the very notion, that for Americans of any religion, skulking out of their own personal taxes and their responsibilities to society is more important than knowing and doing what is morally right is the very essence of Republicanism. Trump takes it to the next level, of course, as a tactic. He stirs up his base, mostly made up of the fearful, the angry, the disaffected... and by their numbers not big taxpayers in fact, although they despise the very idea because it roils their racism as well as their pathological selfishness. Trump encourages it. This is why he is bad for the Jews even if he is simultaneously not so great for anyone else, either.
3
Jewish Americans have preferred Democrats in all modern presidential elections. They only questions has been by what amount. If Democrats nominate a reasonably moderate candidate near the center next year the margin will be similar to 2016. The question is what happens if the party goes farther to the left.
4
BTW, that red yarmulke in the photo with "Trump" on it, really?
Have some self respect, please.
It's too repugnant and revolting to even be ironic in some quasi humorous way.
7
Where do the Baptists, the Protestants, the Catholics, Mormons and Muslims fit in here?
3
"... There are wealthy Jews who are sufficiently shortsighted, ignorant or arrogant enough to imagine that they can continue to prosper under a white nationalist government. ..."
Did we not learn anything from Germany in the 1930's?
7
Krugman is just following the NYT agenda. Have you ever seen the NYT write an article saying trump did something right? Nope, not ever. I have news for NYT, no one is that perfect. Your total bias is clearly apparent.
10
@bored critic trump is a criminal colluded traitor who has done NOTHING right
1
Let him do something right. Let him stretch. He’ll get a six column head and beatified in the lede.
1
You could have taken the opportunity to tell us what he did right.... even good ideas he manages to screw up with bad execution and form.....
3
The Jews are in a difficult predicament, squeezed between the Corbyn antisemitism on the Left and resurgent white supremacy on the Right. Both versions continue to perpetuate antisemitic Kremlin propaganda, including the czarist Protocols of the Elders of Zion and later Soviet efforts.
Yes, democratic principles are most fundamental and Jews largely continue to lean Democratic. However, they will continue to face increasing headwinds either way. A good fraction of the 17% of the Jews in the Republican camp are guessing that the Left will be worse for them than the Right simply because they are Jews, not because of taxes.
6
Jews were singled out for discrimination repeatedly over thousands of years. Hence, generations of Jews grew up fearing that they, too, would become the latest targets of bigots, racists, & nationalists.
Anyone who encourages those who hate Jews is not our friend. More than any serious presidential candidate (successful or otherwise) since Wallace in 1968, Trump openly celebrates his racism. Indeed, he has made racism, sexism, & Islamophobia fashionable in some circles. It is no accident that hate crimes have increased sharply since his election. Four more years of him could lead to thousands more violent incidents, spreading terror throughout communities all over America.
It is highly offensive for Trump to suggest that his tax cut should induce affluent Jews to abandon all of their principles & vote for him. Jews strongly believe in justice. Jews have always supported victims of discrimination, & will continue to do so. Thinking you can bribe us with a few dollars only shows the depths of your anti-Semitism.
13
Are you listening yet, Sheldon and Miriam Adelson?
9
Donald Trump is bad for the Jews, Muslims, women, people of color, immigrants, climate warming, democracy, corrupting people, ..., humanity and the planet overall!
7
We can thank Trump for one thing.
Although we like to argue a lot he’s brought many Jews together in opposing all he stands for.
4
“”But it takes, well, chutzpah, a truly striking level of contempt for your audience, to foment hatred-laced identity politics, then turn to members of minority groups and say, in effect, “Ignore the bigotry and look at the taxes you’re saving!””
Is this statement above a reflection of:
A) Chutzpah
B) Unhinged, pathologic narcism
C) The behavior of a “moron” (words of Rex Tillerson)
D) all of the above
5
"the" Jews. Clearly marking "them" and "Not US", "different", "strange", etc.
Americans of Jewish faith are the same as Americans who believe in the Spaghetti Monster, or any incorporeal "supreme being".
Americans believe in themselves, in humanity. The problem people seem have is seeing Jews as humans, not just Jews (whatever that connotes). In fact, DNA shows they are not genetically special at all. Just Middle Easterners. But I understand we are all more comfortable in boxes, and just respecting others as humans and equals because of that, seems difficult because that means WE must accept "Hungarians", etc. as equals. Hungarians are not like "US". They are different, just like Jews, right? (or Baptists?)
Properly written the headline would omit the word "the". Next time, see to it, NYT!
3
Wasn't his 'you have to vote for me' message last week to Jews the same as it was a few weeks earlier to African Americans?
Every group is next, just fill in the blank.
Divide and destroy is the name of the game and it's right out of
Russia's playbook.
Wake up, America. It's almost too late.
8
One of the most authentic Jew running for office is Bernie Sanders. Mist underestimated most under rated this genuine guy is a working class messiah.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/10/opinion/bernie-sanders-multiracial-workers.html?
3
Mr. Krugman:
Well done. The German economy certainly did well when the Nazis took over, too.
Tell that to some of my clueless fellow Jews who continue to defend the indefensible.
6
What an odd column.
Jews, like anyone else,
are free to vote for whomever
they wish.
Why does the New York Times run columns that
insist, via Identity Politics,
that this "ethnic/religious/racial" group
must vote for this party or that party
or this candidate or that candidate ?
5
I am shocked that the sub-headline makes reference to a supposed Jewish fixation on tax rates. This is nothing more than a anti-Semitic trope. Shame!
6
All racism is ani-Semitism.
Jews, and specifically Israeli Jews may celebrate the Trump’s Jerusalem, Golan Heights, and West Bank decisions in the short time. How will these “favors” be paid for? How will the Muslims of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the world respond to these “favors”?
Trump is impeached today. Netanyahu is under indictment. Both men showed vile disrespect toward President Obama. Trump led the racist “birther” movement to National office. Netanyahu joined by Republican racists to address a joint session of Congress where he insulted Obama. Both men exploited our lowest impulses, our hatred, fear, our greed.
Anyone who thinks that they will prosper as a result of an affiliation with Trump has only to see that his closest aids are people he “does no know”. Israel should tremble. The day will come, when Israel will need America’s help and Donald Trump may “not know” Israel on that day.
7
Bari Weiss column...
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/opinion/politics/antisemitism-europe-corbyn.html
Many others...
Jewish Graves Desecrated in Historic French Cemetery
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/04/world/europe/jewish-graves-france-desecrated.html
All you have to do is just google it...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/www.washingtonpost.com › opinions › 2019/08/13 › rise-anti-semitism-l...
The rise of anti-Semitism on the left - The Washington Post
August 13, 2019 at 11:58 a.m. PDT ... The problem of anti-Semitism is rising across the world.
A recent CNN poll ... Anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise as well.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-antisemitism/anti-semitic-attacks-rise-worldwide-in-2018-led-by-us-west-europe-study-idUSKCN1S73M1
Growing Anti-Semitism in California and Globally | Pacific ...
Oct 11, 2019 - Statistics on anti-Semitic hate crimes, assaults, and rhetoric provide clear evidence of an increasing threat.
Many french jews have already moved to Israel, french is now the 4th most popular foreign language there after english and Russian.
Things have only gotten worse': French Jews are fleeing their country
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2019/11/french-jews-fleeing-country/
Extremely disturbing, it's the same scapegoating that resulted in Holocaust
in not such distant history...
Americans hold a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden
Ms. Weiss column should be kept on a front page, it's too scary!
3
Should Mr. Trump gain a second term, our Jewish Americans will be taxed, exploited, deported, imprisoned, audited, and their property confiscated.
2
Not as far fetched a comment as one may think.
It has happened before.
4
If that’s all that happens we’d be getting off easy. But when Nazis march around in America with torches screaming “Jews will not replace us!” It’s not about money, it is about blood lust. Not all 63 million Trump voters ( and all their military weapons) are the very fine people who’d like to deport or murder Jews. But some are and we don’t know how many Trump is encouraging.
2
While it is easy call out the Presidents statement to a Jewish audience as promoting an antisemetic trope it is likely he would have invoked tax policy to any wealthy audience. It is actually indicative of his general buffoonery, rather than Anti Semitism, that he didn’t filter his comments. Hatred of Jews as espoused by white supremacists is easily recognized. Chants of “Jews will not replace us” and tattoos of swastikas cannot be missed.
What is of greater concern and much more threatening to American Jews is the widespread acceptance of the newer insidious forms of hatred espoused by many so called liberals. BDS is in its own words a movement designed to undermine the very existence of the Jewish state and deny the ancient connections of the Jews to Israel. It is a socially acceptable form of Anti Semitism. The myriad examples “liberal” Jew hatred garners nary a mention from Mr. Krugman. A party that embraces Omar, Talib, and Sarsour is no friend to anyone, least of all the Jews. Maybe his next column will address liberal Anti Semitism.
10
As bad as Trumps is for Israelis it pales in comparison to the liberal progressive’s plans to ruin and ultimately destroy a sovereign country.
8
Jews were one of the highest percentage groups to vote for Clinton and Obama.
Actually, if I'm not mistaken, only African Americans voted in greater percentage against Trump. More LATINOS voted for Trump than Jews.
4
Trump is bad for everyone except himself and his family, and maybe Putin.
The people who support Trump, in every income level and in all places, are blind. Evil succeeds where there is only darkness. Where there is ignorance there is also evil.
Greed, selfishness, superiority, arrogance, self-aggrandizement. The people who allow Trump don't seem to care about any of it as long as the economy is "booming". Too bad.
Trump is bad for Jews, and every other non-white ethnic group as well as LGBT+ folks, immigrants and women. Millions of people love him. What does that say about the USA?
3
With a base made up largely of Evangelicals, and an Attorney General who is an Opus Dei figure, is it any wonder people who are not comatose are frightened with Trump on the lose and desperate for all the support he can drum up from any dark corner of society?
2
Do you really need a PhD to babble nonsense?
Remind me, who moved the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem?
Who just declared the Illegal Israeli West Bank settlements "Legal"?
Who has maintained normal relations with Israel in spite of international sanctions for their usurpation of Palestinian land and property?
Oh, I forgot.
It was Nancy Pelosi.
Seriously, Professor, seriously?
Have you nothing better to do with your time than inventing reasons to dislike DT.
We get is Professor: you don't like Donald Trump and thank you for your weekly reminders. I guess things are pretty dull in the economics biz, so it makes perfect sense to exercise your awesome talent reminding us that You Don't Like Donald.
Even if it involves making up nonsense.
"At long last, have you left no sense of decency?"
4
A giant brainwashing article, trying to secure votes in a targeted audience.
If you look at the facts, Trump has allied the US more directly and concretely to Israel than Obama did in 8 years.
Just repeating mocking tropes about how Trump=Nazis, over and over again, probably is effective. But it is surely not true journalism.
4
Paul,
Your statement that Judaism is different than other religions because it does not oppress is just NOT TRUE; it is the same like all those other religions.
Read your Torah, what did the Israelites do when they crossed the River Jordan, to the land of Milk and Honey, they exterminated the Canaanites with the blessing of GOD.
The Jewish Kingdom of Yemen (Yes the Yemenis were Jewish before they converted to Islam) they exterminated the Christian Yemenis, on orders of the Jewish King Nawaz Yousef.
Finally are you blind to the Oppression of the Palestinians (who ironically their DNA would match the ancient Israelites more than present day Israelis) at the hands of modern day Israelis.
3
Too many times in history that Jews were singled out for persecution and oppression because they maintained their belief and traditional values, as well as their strong belief in education, frugality, and family.
Yet, when politicians or rulers who are crude, incompetent and greedy will blame the Jews and turn to barbaric acts towards the Jews during tough times. Look no further than Hitler in the 30s.
Donald, "Le Horrible" is no exception, and nothing please him more than taking the money (and the vote) from the Jews now.
Like they said in the movie, "remember the Alamo", Jewish Americans should never forget the past history....
4
Trump may indeed be bad for the Jews...and using some of your logic I would expect you believe Bloomberg may be good for the Jews.
I doubt, though, that great hinterland west of the Hudson River and east of the Rockies would agree with you.
For the same reason (innate anti-Semitism) those 'mid-Americans' (geographically) believe Trump is their modern savior and being 'bad for the Jews' make him great for them.
2
As always, Paul Krugman tells the truth. As an Asian American, I cringe whenever I see an Asian American Trump supporter. While small in numbers, they’re loud and obnoxious, mostly middle-aged men who love boxing and going to Vegas. They’re typically blowhards who got lucky in life but chalks it up to “I earned every penny!” Never mind they went to college with financial aid, got their first job in the public sector opened up by the African American-led Civil Rights Movement, and now live in suburbs that were closed to them before the Fair Housing Act of 1968. Thank God Asian Americans have the good sense to live in overwhelmingly blue states so that Trump isn’t campaigning in California, New York, and Hawaii where Trump yells, “Where is my Asian American!” In his rallies and pose with bowl of chow mein At the Trump Hotel to celebrate the Asian American Heritage Month. Smart Asian Americans know that Trump isn’t just bad for Asian Americans, he’s bad for Americans.
8
The thing about the Teflon Don is that if you get too close to him you'll get his stench all over you, and it's something that you'll never get off.
2
You are preaching to the Orthodox, Paul.
Dear Dr Krugman
I read your opinion piece ” Donald Trump is Bad for the Jews” twice. For the past 2 years I routinely read your column and although more often than not your opinion is completely in opposition to anything that President Trump, or for that matter any Republican espouses, I feel obliged to evaluate your thoughts because you are a Nobel Laureate Economist. Although I generally find you to have worthy ideas that must be considered I find you to be a partisan who is willing to misrepresent those with whom you disagree.
How can you possibly consider a President who has Orthodox Jews in his immediate family to be an anti-semite? This is the president who declared Jerulasm to be the capital of Israel. This is the president who confronts the enemies of Israel. Our last President, who clearly thought it more important to appease Israel’s enemies, could be construded as anti-semitic; a case worthy of examination. Do you not find it strange that Israelis respect President Trump while you do not? From my perspective you have become a sycophant for the so called progressives.
You and I do agree that President Trump speaks without regard to subtly and without concern as to how his words might be interpreted. I too occasionally cringe when I hear him speak. But you and most members of the press do their very best to distort or atleast bend his statements in the worst possible light.Your reference to his Charlotteville speech is an example of your desire to bend his words
4
@Eric Braunstein
those who adamantly oppose Trump know a crook when they see one.
1
Given history, ancient and modern, I fail to see how any Jew could support a politician, let alone a party with white nationalist leanings.
3
@eclectico
No one in power is a white nationalists. And, in case you’ve been asleep since 1946, Zionism by it’s very nature is nationalist to the core. It is in their best interest to support nationalism for everyone else so they can justify it on behalf of Israel.
1
Sadly, when religion of any kind is more important than the truth, whether it is Judaism, or Evangelicalism, etc., then you know we are in trouble. Those over in Israel, who are controlling political outcomes for the state, the Palestinians, and even, much of the middle east with a lot of free money from American taxpayers, really don't care if DT is good, bad, etc. for the Jews, so long as they can wrap him around their finger, keep the money, and military aid coming their way, and keep pushing for what, I don't know what, as more war, with anyone over there, including Iran, is bad for the Jews. But heh, they don't seem to understand that, as they are under the delusion that the land that they believe God gave them, runs right up along with the same belief and delusion that the Evangelicals here in America have.
1
What "supporters of Israel" don't recognize is the fact that Trump has thrown Israel to the dogs, along with the rest of the Middle East. After the sop of moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, Trump ceded the entire region to Vladimir Putin. Shortly after the handover, Netanyahu met with Putin for his marching orders. Israel is collateral damage in Putin's plan to corner the market on oil, gas and pipelines. Putin will not allow an attack on Israel any time soon, but if he did, the U.S. would not respond under Trump. Our former NATO ally Turkey is now a Russian ally and Putin rules Syria and Iran. Soon to follow: Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Egypt is probably already under Russian hegemony.
4
Boy I hope so. If Putin wants to give 10's of billions of Russian taxpayers money to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries every year so we don't and fix the Palestinian problem, it sounds like a great deal...Our strategic interest in their oil has dimished. There isn't much else there of interest, just endless tribal squabble. Like Obama said, let's move our focus to Asia, maybe Africa..Let the Russians pay to get the various tribes, religious sects and ethnicities to stop fighting each other..I'd rather see my tax money spent here on health care or infrastructure.
Mr. Krugman, Judaism is not a religion of oppression as you said, but Israeli government policies, no matter how they are spoken, written, interpreted, acted on, and criticized are definitely not religion. They’re government.
1
Everyone missed the point of Trump's pandering to Jewish people. You'll notice that after three years, there is still no peace agreement for Israel? Of course not. Without one, Trump and Kushner might have the idea of cashing in on the West Bank Real Estate future. Netanyahu did proclaim his desire to steal the land, didn't he? It's pretty rich that the real greed is from Trump, not Jews who only want a safe place to congregate. I'm still waiting for our Jewish friends to actually pay for the land as a simple way to gain peace there. It worked for Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, didn't it? Remember that Trump is practiced at the art of deception and diversion. The Jews need to lead from within, not from without. Trump should be their last choice for leadership.
thank you! good column.
"Good/bad for the Jews" is something I cannot ignore. I cringe at the number of Jews who enable Trump (Kushner, Miller, etc.) & swell with pride at the Jews who stand against him (Vindman, Schiff, etc.).
5
Correct, Paul. Simply correct.
2
A well reasoned and articulated essay, Professor.
Indeed the republican party has been building this very base base of theirs on the simple fact that the bosses have always known that if they can get the white working stiff to hate and fear the black and brown working stiffs, bosses will have an easier time stealing from all of US.
republicans have told the confederate voters that they will keep the blacks and browns down but with the election of Obama the base knew republicans were either lying or just not up to the task.
t rump seemed to be up to that task.
It is now our task to send this hatred back under the rock it came from and to send t rump off to face the indictments that will surely be coming his way when he no longer has that fake "rule" about not impeaching sitting presidents while in office to hide behind.
4
Dr. Krugman's columns are always valuable, but this one is especially important for explicitly making the point that Jews are just peope. It shouldn't need saying, but oh, how it does! And oh, how rarely anyone says it! How would it not be so? Where we're not literally each other's siblings, we are literally, if in some cases very distantly, each other's cousins. If only we could take that in, we might get along a lot better. I certainly wish that my distant cousin Donald could get his head around the idea.
1
"And while it [the Trump Administration] is not (yet) explicitly anti-Semitic, many of its allies are: “Jews will not replace us” chanted the “very fine people” carrying torches in Charlottesville, Va. "
Our country gave a path to citizenship to 3 million illegal immigrants. This encouraged other foreigners to gamble on coming here without papers. We now have many times more illegal immigrants than the original 3 million. The PEW Hispanic Trust estimates that just under 11 million were living here illegally in 2016. Researchers at Yale and MIT put the number at just over 22 million. Many more have been streaming in since then. (Only 10 - 15% of the Central Americans who have been requesting asylum are being found to qualify for it, yet few of them leave even after their final deportation orders have been issued.)
Our economy has dramatically changed. It cannot accommodate masses of new people, particularly those with little education. Citizens with less than a college degree feel insecure about their economic futures. Economic stability underpins family stability.
Many citizens fear losing their jobs and family stability to ever-increasing numbers of illegal immigrants. Some Jews have been vocal in their support for illegal immigrants. The Charlottesville marchers were telling Jews that they do not want to be replaced by illegal immigrants.
1
@ann
"The Charlottesville marchers were telling Jews that they do not want to be replaced by illegal immigrants."
No, they were saying that they did not want to be replaced by Jews ... they were anti-Jew.
4
@ann
No ! no ! no! Those marchers were neo-nazis
1
Trump believes every stereotype in the book about Jews: that we are clannish, money-crazed, and deceitful. He just thinks those are all good things! Hence his past assertions that he wants "short guys wearing yarmulkes" managing his money, etc.
Trump's allies are more conventional anti-Semites, who despise rather than grudgingly admire Jews. For a lot of them, I'm sure Jews rank high on their "enemies of the people" list, right after Muslims and immigrants. The inability of a minority of American Jews to understand this baffles me.
7
Jews are not an ethnic group but a religion some of us practice, some don't.
On Sept. 1, 1939, there were 2.2 billion people in the world of whom 16.8 million were Jews. On May 8, 1945, among 2.14 million people worldwide, there were left 11 million Jews.
Today the world population is 7.6 billion of whom 14.6 million are Jews.
Do the math14.6 million among 7.6 billion is as one snowflake in a blizzard.
Yet we remain hate's explanation for all that those who must point to another for what's wrong in their lives, for what they fear in the world.
Why? History has explanations, all bad, beginning with the libel that Jews killed a savior in the form of a man said to be named Jesus. Rome and Romans killed that man -- if there was such a man.
But no matter, it is the first of the persistent lies about us, --the one that led a feudal world in Europe to bar Jews from farming, from trade, leaving some to change money -- hence the libel of Jewish greed indulged in again last week by Trump.
It goes on and on with but one time-out in history, the decades following the Holocaust a brief interlude stunned into relative quietude by the ferocity of the revealed hatred.
The time-out is over. The person who bears the greatest responsibility for calling it over is Trump.
History bears witness to the Jewish experience. It will bear witness to this as well.
5
@Carl Zeitz
Your math doesn’t add up. 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust.
Trump is bad for everyone, and that includes those white Anglo-Saxon protestants who have bought into his racism. Regardless of who wins any election, it's incumbent on us, people of good will and freedom, to get to know our neighbors and to support justice for all, not only justice for Trump supporters of WASPs. Trump will never turn me into one of his.
2
The old "the left criticizes Israel, so they are the real anti-Semites" gag has been heavily promoted in Canada, as well, where our "alt-right" has no purchase on political power yet, but certainly tries to demonstrate and promote hatred all-around.
My most favourite Canadian news source, the "Canadaland" series of podcasts, is run by Jesse Brown, long-time journalist who only happened to mention he was Jewish in the course of commenting upon them.
He noted that he'd hung around with both kinds of protest groups in the course of reporting and interviewing, and there was just no question in his mind that the ones that made him feel a little unsafe on the job were the alt-righters, every time.
I think it was Jesse that mentioned the anti-Netanyahu protesters would just launch into their topic and go on about their concerns, without asking anything of his background. But the alt-righters asked him if he was Jewish, always, straight off: it's the lens through which they process every relationship.
2
A swing and a miss. Nice try Paul. I'll take the ("beyond any reasonable doubt anti-democratic!?!)
Trump administration over the insufferable eight years of Obama (and Rhodes and Power) placating the Palestinians and Iran and throwing Israel under the bus at every turn -- or the new breed of progressive Dem whose anti-Israel positions are merely masquerades for anti-Semitism. No thanks.
5
Well, the architect of the current administration's abhorrent immigration policies in sync with white nationalist agenda is Steve Miller, a California Jew. He also prides himself for being an ex-contributor to Breitbart News and a personal friend of Steve Bannon. Not sure he completely understood the chants in Charlottesville back in 2017...
2
Really?
He's the first president to steadfastly express his support for Israel without simultaneously pandering to her terrorist neighbors;
He correctly uses the phrase "radical Islamic terrorists" instead of the mealy mouth expressions Obama used;
He moved our embassy to Israels rightful capital, Jerusalem;
He has affirmed Israel's right to defend its borders by giving his assent to settlements in land rightfully obtained 50 years ago.
No president in recent history has done so much, in both word and deed, to support Israel.
5
In his lack of both empathy and sophistication, it's the "you People" syndrome, lumping all into a generalization. True, there is
a Sheldon Adelson type, but also the predominant 70-75% of American Jews whose prime loyalty is for the U.S. and who despair of Netanyahu along with the racist Trump.
3
As a Jew i'm sensitive to the topic but this piece is unfortunately more fuel for Trump's "fake news" claims. Watch the video. Trump says "many of you are in real estate - brutal people..". It's a joke. He's in real estate, remember?
Also, Krugman provides a link to the Times' own reporting for the phony "very fine people" claim, which clearly shows Trump making a distinction between the statue protesters (the fine people) and the white supremacists.
It's truly a shame we can't trust the NYT anymore.
4
Donald Trump is bad for human beings. It’s just that 63 million Americans don’t realize it. Not enough breast feeding.
1
No mention of the BDS movement? Talking around it with the usual " Here's why I hate Trump today" column only demonstrates how disingenuous Mr. Krugman continues to be.
4
Trump won most states including all of the rural states. Big cities have large numbers of low income people. Cities like Flint and Detroit, the only areas of MI that HRC won in 2016. Outside of those cities there are lots of people with incomes under 50k. How did they vote? Since MI is largely red I'm guessing that they voted for Trump, against their economic interests. But maybe someone has these stats. I couldn't find them.
Krugman makes me laugh but also gets me angry with his false statements. If anyone actually read what Trump said you would see that he was not referring to the crowd of white nationalist as very fine people. He likes to lie and he is economically wrong most of the time. So where is all those dramatic economic downturns he predicted.
5
Obama might have not been singled out, is a gross overstatement. There was, and still is, an entire network, devoted to undermining his presidency.
3
Trump was absolutely referring to the slime that gathered in Charlottesville, as very fine people. I read it, and saw it. No amount of right wing revisionist history will counter that.
9
"... you would see that he was not referring to the crowd of white nationalist as very fine people."
Anyone can make a blatantly false assertion like this without even trying to support it, as you amply demonstrate.
2
About 80% of the world's 16 million Jews are evenly distributed between America and Israel.
And while only 1.8% of Americans are Jews, America is the realization of the Zionist Jewish dream of a civil secular plural egalitarian republic that is good and safe for the Jews.
There are two Jews running for President, three Jews on the Supreme Court, three Jews out of five chairing the House Committees focused on the impeachment investigation, a Jewish Secretary of Treasury and two Jewish Senior White House Advisers with blood and family ties to the President of the United States.
What is 'bad for the Jews' in America would be the realization of near paradise progress for the 13% of Americans with black African ancestry and the 2% of Americans with brown aboriginal indigenous ancestry.
1
@Blackmamba It's not a competition. I daresay most Jews would agree with you and stand as allies of the African-American community. The neo-Nazis marching in Charlotte who hate us equally might be a better focus on your ire.
3
@Blackmamba
"What is 'bad for the Jews' in America would be the realization of near paradise progress for the 13% of Americans with black African ancestry and the 2% of Americans with brown aboriginal indigenous ancestry."
To the contrary, what raises others benefits Jews (and the rest of America).
Trumps daughter is Jewish as are his son in law and grand kids. He has done more to promote Israel than any recent president. What gives?
15
Bad for "The Jews"? Wow, Paul, what a revealing statement from. Sounds to me like an anti semitic trope in and of itself. The Jews? How about the Jewish people?
6
We never saw any articles about President Obama being bad for any particular group. I am sure if you put this question to certain groups they would say he did not favor them. Some of his policies were contrary to the beliefs of certain Christian groups yet no piece singled them out specifically. Bias reporting? The readers can decide the answer.
4
@KMW: Obama did not impose the beliefs of certain Christian groups on everybody else - there, fixed it for you.
3
This is an op ed, not reporting.
I can't remember when I last saw an article by Prof. Krugman that was personal in nature.
Bravo. This is why you are one of my favorites.
2
Trump bad for the Jews. Yes he is but then he and his family of grifters, con artists and thieves is bad news for all of humankind.
6
Wouldn't it be nice if Mike Bloomberg, a secular Jew, went head to head with Donald Trump in 2020?
4
I will never understand American Jews who support Trump. We’re just a couple of generations removed from the Holocaust and he and his hateful crew bear so many similarities to Hitler and the Nazis. You really think America is different? Not anymore.
10
Trump is very bad for us Jews, as shown by his repeated willingness to traffic in anti-Semitic slurs and tropes and his defenses and courtship of white nationalists. See Steve Bannon, Steven Miller, David Duke... Trump is very, very bad news for Jews.
7
amen!
2
Krugman’s most chilling point is that some Jews think they can continue to prosper in a white nationalist environment. Memories cannot be that short , can they? Think of how cultured and prosperous Jews in Austria and Germany ignored the rising bigotry of Hitler until it was too late. Voting for trump “because he’s good for Israel” , is something I hear often. He insults them and they cheer. Very disturbing.
494
@Elisabeth Murphy
You nailed it. I'm reminded of a story I heard about a man who tried to get his wife to leave Nazi Germany. She refused, and he left her behind, taking the kids. He and the kids survived. She did not.
18
@Elisabeth Murphy
The most important word in you comment is "some."
9
@Elisabeth Murphy
Actually, the Jews in Germany and Austria did not ignore Hitler. Rather, there was nothing they could do to stop him.
15
Not just Trump; the entire GOP. They are absolutely complicit with his tyranny, none of which would have mattered if there were a single Republican with a spine.
Meanwhile, we must realize these people - the GOP - have been bad for the majority of us for over fifty years now.
They’ve literally set back progress that might have occurred by more than a century, and in the process have brought us well over the brink of species extinction for the entire human race.
Remember, it is not enough to scapegoat Trump, just as it wasn’t enough to point at Hitler; his entire army of supporters are to blame for this final, total holocaust.
6
Trump “asserted that many in his audience were ‘nice people at all,’ but that ‘you have to vote for me’ because Democrats would raise their taxes.”
Outrageous!!! Antisemitism!!!
2
So according to Krugman, Trump is a vicious antisemite. I guess he hates his own orthodox Jewish grandchildren, as well as his daughter, and son-in-law. This article represents Krugman at his most cartoonish. He’s taken a comment completely out of context and used it as a springboard for the old “Trump is a racist” mantra. I guess he’s putting the usual “Trump is wrecking the economy” article on hold this week. After all, Friday’s economic data was spectacular.
By the way, was Krugman concerned that Obama sat in the pews of the vicious antisemite Jeremiah Wright for over twenty years? How about Ilhan Omar’s vile antisemitic tweets? Of course not. Democrats can’t be racists, don’t you know.
4
Smart man, Krugman. No wonder he won a Nobel Prize.
2
I've been baffled from day one how so many Orthodox Jews could support a man with such blatant fascist tendencies.
4
@Working Mama
There is a long story hind that and the reason why my father, who was raised Hasidic, left due to certain attitudes within much of that community.
"He is not an antisemite, he just doesn't like Jews."
(Yiddish saying)
10
Not only is Donald Trump bad for Jews, he's bad for all of us!
7
What?? He’s “king of the Jews”, the “chosen one”, get without Paul!
Religious Jews who support Trump horrify me.
I fear it will take a hate- crime -blatantly inspired by Trump - to wake them up and force them to change their angry minds and hearts. Unfortunately the Hasidic communities - because of their distinctive garb- be an easy target for some America First white nut with a gun.
5
You should know that The USA is Israel’s best friend.
Jews, or Israel? Jewish interests, Jewish culture or Israeli business? Foreign aid, military sales, shared intelligence or joint black ops? Krugman doesn't say. What, exactly, is he talking about? Otherwise, Trump bad for the Jews? Tell that to Trump's Jewish team: Kushner, Miller, Mnuchin, Friedman, Cordish, Berkowitz, Cohn, Neuberger, Carr, Rosen, Greenblatt, Epshteyn, Kudlow, Shulkin, Ellis, and Eisenberg.
1
@Matt Andersson
Wow, a dozen tokens (one an in-law; one an avowed white nationalist; and one who's no longer even part of the "Jewish team") ... and yet 80 percent of American Jews reject Donald Trump.
Really impressive argument you've made there.
3
I would leave any temple if there was a person wearing that red kippa in the sanctuary, you can advertise your greed and selfishness if you want, but that trash doesn’t belong anywhere near the Torah. Donald Trump is no friend to the Jews. He is for sale, and he sold us out to Russia and Turkey. He has made Israel less safe.
11
It is a simple matter of set theory. Jews are a subset in the larger set of humanity, and Trump is bad for humanity, therefore he is bad for Jews.
6
@Bailey T. Dog That feels like an "all lives matter" argument. Jews are disproportionately targeted and hate crimes are the highest since 2016 against one group in particular.
3
Keep in mind that the Zionist fundamentalist Christians who are his base are waiting for the Rapture. Some Christians believe in the prophecy of the Rapture, which requires Jews to be in Israel for the second coming of Christ and an apocalypse that destroys the world while those who accept Christ go to heaven and everybody else goes the other way. These are not friends of the Jews.
7
amen
1
He’s good for hard right Jews in the US and in Israel.
2
Wow! So much hate—what country are you guys talking about?
3
What I would like to know is why Paul Krugman specifically singled out the Jews in the title of his article.
2
It is sorely tempting to think of Trump as an anti Semite and a racist, but in some twisted way it almost gives him too much credit. Or, at least it credits him with believing in something, even something heinous, and that seems like more credit than he deserves. Actually hating Jews, or Blacks would take too much energy. It would interfere with his appetites. No, he's not Hitler. He's Eichmann.
6
But, it is also obvious, that he is dangerous for Jews.
2
Jews.
Gentiles.
Atheists.
Trump is Bad for
All of the Above.
4
Trump is a lying sociopath who cares for no one but himself. Americans of any ethnic background would be ill advised to think that he has their interest at heart.
9
One thing that needs to be kept in mind is that the racial strategy of Republicans did not originate with Trump and will probably not go away if he is deposed. The turn of the party away from equal rights and towards white supremacy was evident with the Goldwater candidacy and was in full swing with Reagan. The element of racist xenophobia was apparent in the Tea Party movement from early on and was responsible for the way the Republican leadership killed the immigration bill of 2013 although it was a true bipartisan effort and was generally popular in polls. Trump just took advantage of pre-existing trends and there is nothing to prevent a more competent successor from doing the same, combining racism with fake "populism". Democrats are not likely to be able to win by fighting things our on the divisive racial grounds chosen by Republicans while taking "centrist" economic positions that prevent people from seeing a difference between parties economically. Of course liberal social positions must not be abandoned, but the groups most liable to racial discrimination are not a major part of swing voters - they already see how things are, as Krugman describes.
2
The groups that Trumpism reviles are legion. Afro-Americans and women are easy to identify. Brown people tend to fall into the categories of those who are poor and vulnerable and those who have entered the US by virtue of superior education and skills--both anathema to Trump supporters. Their heritage and family longevity in this country can often be gauged by their accent. Most American Jews now are one or more generations removed from entry to the US, and might be somewhat less easy to quickly identify. LGBT+ people have varying degrees of identifiability. For many of these groups, their names can be a giveaway, without even seeing the person.
Educated cis-hetero white Protestants with left-leaning ideology, like myself, have the advantage of having greater tribal kinship with most Trump supporters and fewer superficial identifying features, and may have Trumpian relatives and old friends. However, once ideology is identified, we also are the enemy of the Trump crew. The current degree of polarization is tearing people along racial and religious lines, as well as forcing advantaged people to choose between supporting supremacy of their own group and becoming an outsider to many of their own people. The morally correct choice is readily apparent to me, but it is not without cost.
2
Prof. Krugman is spot on. Trump has been bad news from day one for the entire country. It is with great shame that we have a man of this caliber as our national leader; a man who would sacrifice all his countrymen to gain political advantage; a man who values only the material and who does cannot see the damage he's inflicted on the country. Let us hope that the United States senate can see beyond the politics of today and do what's in the best interest of the country and end this sham of a presidency.
1
We've always advocated for civil rights and equality, except for ourselves. Until we stand firm against bias against Jews, we are complicit. Jews who turn a blind eye, or rationalize, anti-Semitism because they support the source's politics are enabling. I don't care if it comes from Trump or Corbyn, I have zero tolerance for any expressions of otherness/hatred against us. Period.
6
@Elizabeth
No one should support Bernie Sanders, who has the known anti-Semite Linda Sarsour as his spokesperson.
1
In comments:
"Trump is not just bad for Jews. Trump's racism means he is bad for people of color, including immigrants."
I would go further and not limit this to Jews, immigrants or people of color.
Regimes like the ones Trump is trying to implement start with denouncing the ones "easily identified" and who already on the hit list for the people they are trying to attract. Then the enemies list will morph to encompass whoever the ones in power see as undesirable. Remember, the concentration camps weren't filled with just Jews
When they came for the Jews I didn't care because I was not a Jew.
When they came for the communists I didn't care, because I was not a communist.
When they came for the Catholics I didn't care because I was not a Catholic.
When they came for me no one was left to care.
4
It is good to see an article without trump's face up top but this one with the red trump yarmulke is really an eye opener. Shocking really. But money money money. Always good to hear from Mr. Krugman.
3
As a sidebar to this excellent column, looking at Jewish Trump supporter Sheldon Adelson helps understand Trump's behavior.
Adelson has enough money to live whatever life he wants and to make his family secure for many generations.
But instead, Adelson backs white supremacy by backing Trump.
Why? Both are the type of disturbed big business people that see nothing except their own financial goals. And those goals are never met.
Trump , at least, has served to highlight those like Adelson, helping Jews avoid his businesses.
4
@Baba All it takes is one Adelson to make the stereotypes against an entire group seem legitimate. If there's one Latino immigrant who is a murderer or a rapist, does that make Trump's charge about the desperate refugees penned up in cages on our southern border true?
This individual has no place in public life—none whatsoever. At best he’s more of a canary in the mine, or a lightening rod for mortal enemies of democracy and indeed decent civil society.
1
Paul, thank you for telling it like it indeed is!
1
Once commentator (Samm NY) wrote: "Probably bad for Jews, overall, but great for Israel"
Perhaps this explains why a fair number of American Jews laud and applaud King trump. Others may not like him but will tell you to 'shush' when you criticize him - 'cause "he's been so very good for Israel". I've heard a Jewish podcaster say that he has been called an anti-semite by other Jews because he decried trump and his policies.
I'd simply like to posit that trump's actions in regard to Israel, I believe, are little more than pandering to Jews for support and that he doesn't care a whit for Israel. I'd also suggest that his actions will have long lasting negative effects on Israel. In fact, I'm very worried for Israel in particular in Jews (worldwide) in general. But what do to? What can you do or say, when a fair percentage of the very people you worry about embrace the entity that is hurting them?
2
@Mike Bonnell If you read this article, you'll see the statistic that 87% of American Jews do NOT laud and applaud King Trump.
2
@Elizabeth
I did Elizabeth. But as is often the case, such statistics are based on polls. And polls are not always reliable. Just like the polls predicted a Clinton landslide in 2016? Remember? And my point was based on what I've heard spoken / written about the phenomena that is currently occurring wherein many American Jews are very quiet about criticizing trump because many of the folks in their communities praise him for his policy in Israel.
It is completely unreasonable to expect the Trumpublican party to find majorities anywhere. They've shown they don't care about Jews, Muslims, any minorities, they've antagonized and belittled women, they've hurt immigrants and the poor. The right-leaning rich are not numerous enough to win them any elections.
2
Thank you Mr. Krugman for articulating so clearly and forcefully and truthfully what most, but not all of America's Jewish population believes. To see the name Trump on the symbol of respect for God is the height of hypocrisy.
2
I listened to Trump's comments and it is what I figured: Krugman took them out of context and warped them into his own racist reality. In context, Trump is talking about Jewish Real Estate developers from NY that he knows personally. They're "killer", not "nice guys." Trump is not saying anything about Jews as a people or a religion but instead about a class he knows well: NY real estate developers. What's more, they all laughed at his comments because they were obviously tongue in cheek.
Seriously, take a deep breath. Sometimes a joke is just a joke.
1
Although Trump puts forth anti-Semitic tropes about Jewish stereotypes, he does so because he believes these traits are admirable and reflect his world view. He sees these things as complimenting Jews, not disparaging or harming them. Sad.
1
I think you should contact Ronald Lauder regarding the article about him and his support for Trump. Lauder says he is going to invest lots of money to fight anti-semitism but then he states his unwavering view that Trump doesn’t have an anti-Semitic bone in his body. Can his view and yours both be correct?
1
“Trump is bad for the Jews, whatever tax bracket we happen to be in“- wrote prof. Krugman.
As the multiple investigations have made clear by now : Trump is bad for the US. period.
1
Bravo Krugman, once again. Being an educated person requires a regular reading of Krugman pieces.
1
Bad for every living being.
2
President Trump is fomenting more hatred of Israel and anti-semitism around the world, both in the short term and long term. This is hurting and will continue to harm Israel and Jews everywhere (including the United States). And the President is being manipulated into these actions and policies by powers that are more nefarious and certainly more intelligent than he is: Putin, Netanyahu, certain financial backers, and members of the Republican Party.
1
In the print edition, the words "There are things more important than your tax rate" are highlighted. To people who haven't read the essay in its entirety, this might give the impression that Paul Krugman is saying that the reason some Jews have become Trump supporters is tax rates. Krugman says nothing of the sort. That single highlighted sentence sounds like an anti-Semitic stereotype.
2
Trump ? 'Bad for the Jews' ? You bet. But he's just as bad for the rest of us.
'There are things more important than your tax rate.'
Trump has sold that to every American. Not just you. Everyone who is ever asked, 'What positive thing has Trump done for the country ?', replies with, 'The economy is going great'. It's all he has to sell.
You're not alone here. Don't play the victim.
3
@sheikyerbouti
Dr. Krugman has written many columns explaining why Trump is bad for Americans (and for sentient beings in general). You seem awfully touchy about his devoting a single column to Trump's anti-Semitism.
This is what Paul Krugman wrote on November 9, 2016: "Trump will bring global recession"
and: "The economic fallout of a Donald Trump presidency will probably be severe and widespread enough to plunge the world into recession, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman warned in a New York Times opinion piece published early Wednesday.
Calling Trump the "mother of all adverse effects," the Nobel Prize-winning economist predicted that the GOP nominee's administration could quickly undo the progress that the markets around the world have made in the eight years since the financial crisis."
and: "So we are very probably looking at a global recession, with no end in sight. I suppose we could get lucky somehow. But on economics, as on everything else, a terrible thing has just happened."
https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/krugman-trump-global-recession-2016-231055
Donald Trump is bad for every single one of us, if only because his policies are accelerating climate change, which will eventually kill us all.
1
To suggest that Jews should be against Trump because he foments anti-semitism is not incorrect, but it is only a small part of the reason. That Judaism has rarely been a religion of oppression is not out of "lack of opportunity," but because Judaism fundamentally requires both justice and empathy. We are required to help others, required to work towards peace, required to take care of God's creation, required to honor the "divine" in every human being. Trump denigrates others, flirts with dictators and oppressors, fans hatred, enriches the rich and weakens the weak, is blind to the Earth's climate crisis, lies and cheats, subverts truth and the American democratic system, and puts himself above the law and above the good of his country. Trump is bad for America and all that she stands for. All of this is why so many Jews oppose Trump.
6
@Eve Gendron Well said. Thank you.
If he steals another election, it’s not beyond the realm of reason that he could somehow get the names of people like us that post comments critical of him and somehow persecute us all for our beliefs, religious or otherwise.
This is a terrifying time to be an American and to be someone that values the pluralistic society that has made this truly country great.
5
As usual the Professor has put his finger on the issue. Methodically Trump has brought all the evil sentiments to the front and personified them. But ought to remember that he is not alone. Republican congressional leaders in both houses are eager enablers of Trump's whimsical actions and pronouncement. A very large part of the country has lost the moral compass. Otherwise how can a company like McKinsey, staffed mostly with the best and brightest from ivy leagues, advise the Homeland Security to starve the i migrants to save a few penny while it can bilk the tax payers millions of dollars.
4
Of course there are exceptions to everything but as I grew up as a Jew in Brooklyn in the 1950's/1960's, I couldn't help but notice that the more Orthodox congregants tended to be politically conservative and the more Conservative (ironic word in this context)/Reformed secular congregants tended to be politically liberal. Wealth was likely a factor towards political conservatism. Always found it hard to believe that they identified with the very ilk that would exclude them from their golf courses and other gathering places.
7
"Their strategy for decades has been to win votes from working-class whites, despite an anti-worker agenda, by appealing to racial resentment." Same could be said for working class religious individuals who are conned into voting against their own economic interest in exchange for stronger social conservative initiatives.
3
Should I mention this? In the 1930's many Jews trusting in Justice and the adage that their love of Germany would protect them stayed in that country until it was too late to leave before the Nazi onslaught. Whether things are that bad now with Trump is problematical. After all many Americans keep their heads firmly in the sand with the idea that it can't happen here. The Nazis were also a minority party who used draconian means to steal power. Will the NYT in its attempt to be impartial deny these analogies and continue to not print them?
10
Trump doesn't care about the Jews here or in Israel. He is using them to keep the evangelist vote and to keep the evangelist giving him a pass for all his sinful ways.
14
Trump is blatantly anti-semitic, racist, misogynistic, anti-immigrant, a liar, a thief and much more. Yet he is as likely to be re-elected as not.
What does that say about us?
10
I have to wonder: Are the 17 percent of America's Jews That support Donald Trump, unfamiliar with the holocaust? Do they not know that Donald Trump spoke of "Fine People" walking with Neo-Nazis? Are Donald Trump's 17 percent, "The stereotypical Jews" that only care about money and have no other values? Do these Jews care nothing for the rule of law, the constitution or that our president is a foreign asset? I would ask this 17 percent: How did supporting tyrants and dictators work out for the Jews in the past?
7
No Jew should support Trump, lest they fail in their role as one of the "chosen people." We have a special responsibility to be the conscience of the world and behave accordingly. To do anything less is to be a pariah.
3
OK, I'll say it: I'm an American Jew, and if you're one, too, and you support Trump, you're a shonda.
Sorry. The truth hurts, but it can set you free.
12
This is where Trump's GOP gets its claim to a "big tent". It has succeeded in uniting neo-nazis and their sympathizers with influential jewish business people. Who woulda thought Trump as a uniter?
2
Trump throws everyone under the bus sooner or later. I think his goal is to be the last man standing.
6
I love the anecdote about the Jewish religion not often repressing others, largely from lack of opportunity, which reminds me of a Nietzsche aphorism (probably misquoted here): "It is not the love of today's Christians, but the impotence of their love, that keeps them from burning us at the stake."
3
Because I do worry about anti-Semitism, and I find any support for Trump from Jews to be greatly embarrassing, I just want to stress again that in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump with a 70 to 25 percent margin among Jewish voters. That pro-democracy, pro-Democratic Party lopsided preference has been consistent over the last five presidential elections. If the 2018 results are any indicator, the Republican share of Jewish votes will be even lower in 2020.
The recent gaslighting (Ukraine-smearing) and thuggishness (push to expose the whistle-blower) employed by a united Republican Party should be a wake-up call to anyone familiar with world history and the methods that autocrats use to dismantle democracies.
7
According to the BBC, antisemitism is breaking out like measles all over Europe. Where and why does it happen?
President Trump seeks the lowest common denominator of thinking in people, but what is baffling about him is that as a person, he does NOT identify with anyone, any group, or couple. That is what worries psychiatrists who study his public behavior. What the "public" needs to comprehend is that he has no adherence to any single principal, and it is not because inwardly he is a complete bigot; it is because he is completely self-absorbed and has no capacity to have concerns for others.
1) His recent wife was pregnant when he engaged in at least one sexual affair outside his marriage, without her knowledge.
Was there a public apology to her and the public for his wrong doing? No other men in the public eye who are married but have an affair resulting in an unplanned pregnancy or during their wife's pregnancies have gone without making a public apology. Arnold Schwarzenegger's political career concluded because of his sexual affair with a housekeeper.
But he apologized for his mistake.
Trump cannot apologize.
The world owes the entire body of Jewish survivors and their descendants a great and on-going apology of NEVER AGAIN. But Trump cannot stand with the world's apology to the Jews, pro-Israel or not.
3
Mr. Krugman perpetuates the stereotype that Jews are richer than other cohorts. In point of fact, while there are many high profile rich Jews, the Jewish people in the US are aging and a significant percentage of older Jews live in abject poverty, while many others hover just above the poverty line. The Weinberg Foundation reports that 16-20% have household incomes of less than $30,000. In NYC alone, 20% (361,000) have incomes at the poverty threshold.
The idea of Jewish exceptionalism - that Jews are (take your pick) smarter, richer, more ethical, more moral, or more democratic than any other socio-economic, racial, ethnic, or religious cohort -is simply ridiculous.
The assimilation of Jews into American society is an accomplished fact. Jews, in fact, relate as readily to any other categorical cohort as they do to their Jewishness. This is a result of intermarriage, conversion, the popularization of positive Jewish stereotypes and the relaxation of historical restrictions that once oppressed the Jewish people and forced them to cling to each other for mutual support and defense.
The old myths about Jews and Judaism are still around, but the richer you are, the less threatening those stereotypes appear. When you are rich enough to afford your own security team, you're not really concerned about a few bigot rabble-rousers.
The Jews who applauded Trump were there for the specific purpose of applauding Trump. Therefore, they were not a representative sample.
2
Nice rebuttal! Labeling and misinformation is damaging to whatever group which one can identify. It is not to say that any one person cannot identify with multiple groups, nor is it proper to lump a multifaceted group of people into a monolith. That is logic 101.
I would agree that the counter-intuitive voting of American Jews (Left leaning although high income) is multi-determined. But the deepest and most profound reasons are that Jews have a special empathy for the abused and downtrodden based on our history AND that Jews are inherently suspicious of cruelty and authoritarianism based on our love of learning and philosophy. And I think empathy and philosophy override tax rates.
9
"History doesn't repeat itself but it does rhyme". The events of the past 2 plus years reminds me of Germany in the late 1920's and early '30's, except in a minor key. Trump is no Hitler but we're seeing a rise in the same kinds of tropes used by the fascists during that era, now adopted by the extreme right who are listening to Donald's dog whistle. When I saw the picture of the red kippah that said "Trump", it reminded me of the comments of German Jews who thought that the rising anti-Semitism of the fascists would eventually fade away.
5
I'm only partly Jewish. But I feel a connection to Jewish thinkers and Jewish culture. The only thing holding back Trump from full-throated anti-Semitism is his right-wing political alliance with Netanyahu and Jared and Ivanka's faith. The Charlottesville fiasco showed us he will discard any and all allies who hitch their star to his wagon. And as he gets dragged kicking and screaming toward impeachment, I'm betting he'll get more sullen and more erratic. That means finding scapegoats in any form they come in.
1
In the administration's face of Stephen Miller we can see that Jews can, unfortunately be just like everyone else and that is a crying shame. Every man, woman and child currently living in squalor and a state of suspended animation as they wait in jails and refugee camps at the border trying to escape poverty, persecution and physical violence subject to the predations of Border Patrol and ICE agents, like Afghanistan when will the full truth of physical and sexual abuse come out? These refugees are Jews of the late 1930's, powerless and subject to the callous bias of being different. That American Jews have forgotten that "apartness" is the great shame of this decade.
3
Many American Jews have not forgotten and are in the lead in efforts to help refugees and others at the border. Pay attention to the names of attorneys and others quoted on these issues.
3
Actions speak louder than words and Trump has been good for the Jewish people - here in the US and in Israel. Obama was not. Plain and simple.Trump is not glib, nor is he eloquent, but he keeps his promises. Your bias agains Trump has been strong and perhaps, as an economist, since none of your financial predictions have come true, in fact they have been outrageously wrong, you are branching out.
4
His daughter is a Jewish convert. Isn't it? His son-in-law has taken active part in the administration without any experience/ skill. It will be interesting to see what he will do when White House days are gone, be it 2020 or 2024. Because Trump name will not be in ballot in 2024 Election. 22nd Amendment.
Trump is bad for everyone and everything.
3
I agree with Mr. Krugman, but I think he missed the big picture.
Trump is a typical populist; he proposes simple-minded solutions that do not work to problems that he does not understand, attempts to implement his stupid solutions via coercion, then when his solutions don’t work doubles down on the coercion and looks for a scapegoat. This often involves blaming Jews, because Jews are historically the preferred scapegoats of authoritarian clowns, religious bigots and white nationalists. You don’t want to turn your back on Trump.
Mr. Trump is not motivated by principles; he is completely transactional. He has not supported Israel, he has supported Benjamin Netanyahu, and his motive for offering that support was an attempt to secure the votes of Americans who are Jewish. Mr. Trump is a friend of Israel until that position is no longer to his political advantage.
5
Talk about understatements.
This diagrams one tentacle of Trump's basic scapegoating dynamic of hate.
He's bad for Jews, to me, because he tempts them to forget tikkun olam and the basic compassion underlying the teachings of our elder siblings of the Book.
3
To Mr Krugman,
The problem with your article is that you base it on ´facts’ and ´evidence’ . Another problem is that you draw logical conclusions. Lastly, you suggest that there are some things better than money like : being connected to others, culture, freedom, democracy.
You are out of touch.
In this Trump era, all that counts is the way you shamelessly transact your way to more money and power.
Get with the times man!
1
Trump is bad for everyone, and in particular Jews as Dr. Krugman points out.
Thank god for people like Rep. Schiff and Senator Schumer who have stood up to Trump. They exemplify the Jewish penchant for scholarship, service, and love of mankind.
This stereotype of Jews as pecuniarily oriented is misplaced. 100 years ago many were socialists. Now we have Bernie Sanders.
Sincerely,
a Catholic who appreciates his Jewish friends as Madame Speaker does
5
Moving the American embassy to Jerusalem and supporting Jewish settlements in the West Bank won trump a lot of love from AIPAC and Netanyahu's Israel. They know this president and how to get what they want from him thanks in part to Jared. Perhaps they can tolerate a bit of bigotry thrown into the mix if he continues down this road another year or so.
1
Hey Paul; Hate mail is despicable. So consider this love mail. I agree with you that Trump is bad for Jews. But isn't he bad for everybody, Including white nationalists?! After all, in the states controlled by the latter, access to health care has diminished, and life expectancy has dropped. Furthermore, poverty has increased as wages have remained stagnant at best. In any case, I read all your columns and subscribe to your newsletter. Keep up the good work!
Donald Trump is Bad for Everyone.
1
...."In fact, American Jews are much more liberal than you might expect given their economic situation...." What is the assumption here? Is it that Jews are better of then the rest of us? I am a 78 year old Jew and I suffer from the same economic factors as my Christian brothers. And yes, I am very liberal. You fall into the same old myths as trump does. Watch your mouth Paul and your pen.
2
More than anything the reaction to Trump's inane comment about Jews and Democrats shows how easily he and his handlers can completely and utterly control the news cycle.
The "outraged" media claims BREAKING NEWS, forms panels, devotes hours trying to convince the audience of Trump's incoherence as if anybody needs convincing. It's all a continuous distraction from the real issues such as growing inequality, expanding military, failing infrastructure, environmental capitulation, debasement of humanity and otherwise predation upon the public.
Those topics are avoided by media because the media is complicit in furthering the agenda of the global financial elite who are sociopathic parasites with no restraint.
I really don’t care if Americans identify as Jews.
I care if they stand with America or Israel.
President Trump is not anti Semitic in the least. His daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren are Jewish and he is very close to them. He has a number of Jewish cabinet members in his administration. Does this sound like a person who does not like Jews? This is a question that is easily answered. He is not at all anti Semitic.
3
Unfortunately, we're still seeing this regurgitated and recycled idiocy about how because Trump has a Jewish in-law and a converted daughter, and has hired a few Jews, he can't possibly be anti-Semitic.
Not that Trump supporters could possibly understand the concept, but having Jewish relatives and hiring Jews who are willing to sell out their own people, doesn't have the remotest relevance to whether Donald Trump is willing to exploit anti-Semitism for his own personal gain, which we've now witnessed him do publicly dozens of times.
Those who try to explain away and deny his despicable behavior are complicit in the violence against the American Jewish community Donald Trump has aided and abetted.
2
My feelings exactly. Republicans tend to be a) religious zealots fixated on abortion/gay marriage etc B) Business people that care about money and taxes and C) People driven by deep racial animus. The three legs of the Republican stool.
I would say racial animus animates all 3 to a certain extent and most of Trump's staying power has to do with a black man being elected President in 2008.
Sadly, 45% of America is, and remains, deeply rooted in racism. When the Jews, other minorities, the Irish etc., vote for Republicans I can only shake my head, given the historical treatment these groups experienced.
Racism is in all our DNA-monkey brains in my opinion.
3
Seeing the man in the accompanying photo advertising Trump makes me cringe. But knowing he’s Jewish is extremely sad, because it means to me that he has no deep knowledge or feelings for history and current affairs.
5
All you need to know is Trump grew up amid the Mafia and attended the same military school as John Gotti.
5
The only disaster here is that pro Israel moves like the embassy in Jerusalem, or breaking the Iran deal are now seen as Trump ideas, re: Right wing issues. It all got intertwined in a bad way. Because at this point our dear Democratic party, (the very one to which most American Jews belong), rejects out of hand any and all Trump/Republican policy and agenda (even when they might agree with it) with the polar opposite. I.E. Border wall! = Let's get rid of Borders! Help Israel = Align with BDS...
It's a "Shonda!" Watching "liberal" groups like SJP join Black Lives matter or the women's march and decry "intersectionality," as the reason. Most, if not all, whom I have met can't even define the word inter-sectionality and when a few do, they use it incorrectly tot link "white colonists" to Israelis...most of whom are Middle Eastern.
3
Thank you President Trump. You have the courage and conviction to complete what you promised. The return of Jerusalem (recognition) to the rightful people, the return of Hebron to the owners (Forefathers) and the spread of peace and prosperity up to the Jordan river. And for the timid and frightful jews, your history has weakened your memory. Chazak!
@Mot
The "timid and frightful" Jews are the ones who think abetting the anti-Semites in the Trump base will somehow buy their safety.
P.S. I find it interesting someone who implies he/she is Jewish doesn't know that "Jew" should be capitalized.
2
If you look at the election map of NYC where Trump only won approx 15% of the vote. The only stronholds for him were Staten Island and the predominant Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn. I wonder how those Jewish voters are feeling now.
1
Without even reading the body of your Dec 9 Opinion, i can tell you that the headline "Donald Trump Is Bad for the Jews" "There are things more important than your tax rate" is in and of itself anti-Semitic trope. Shameful tying together of Judaism and money is not okay Paul. Try to drum up interest in your opinions without resorting to this sort of headline grabbing hatefulness. You should know better.
2
What is just as puzzling is why anyone of Jewish heritage would belong to the Republican Party? They have shown over the decades to be bigoted and exclusionary. Not the ideals and leadership most Jewish Americans embrace.
8
If you want to know who you are, in this world, know who your enemies are. Very good people, marching down the streets of Charlottesville, chanting "Jews will not replace us", tells me a lot about where I stand, in this world. No amount of exterior whiteness, which I have always possessed, can fool me into believing that I am on the white team. There are large swaths of the Muslim world that I am wise to avoid, for safety's sake. My support for the state of Israel is based, in large measure, not by its current politics, or any religious beliefs, but by my knowledge that millions, surrounding Israel, cry out to sweep every Jewish man, woman and child into the sea. I know where I stand, with these millions. And that helps me understand, in some perverse way, who I am.
9
Circle the wagons for this drivel! How about some dissenting points of view, no that would ruin the narrative! This proves the claim of FAKE NEWS, even better than the President. What you going to do when he gets 4 more years? How many trees will be sacrificed for this ignoble effort?
1
Trump is bad for Jews. Trump is bad for African-Americans. Trump is bad for Asians. Tump is bad for Indians [native and immigrant]. Trump is bad for women. Can you see where this is headed?
5
What an irony that the President with a Jewish daughter should be such a bigot! So much opportunity to bring people together, wasted.
5
He prob wasn't actually talking to them, Paul. Member the time he asked the Blacks what they had to lose?
1
An otherwise excellent column is somewhat spoiled by Krugman continuing to push his Obama/Clinton blind support line. For example:
" President Barack Obama was hardly a radical, but when he left office the average federal tax rate on the top 1 percent was 5 percentage points higher than it had been under George W. Bush. "
True enough, but what Krugman knows and fails to point out is that the income and wealth disparity in the US increased faster under Obama than under Bush. This, of course does not mean that Bush did better by middle class and poor people. But what it does mean is that while Democratic administrations over the last 40 years have nibbled around the edges and taken credit for minor improvements over Republican administrations during that period, both have , overall, catered to the 1% agenda.
Not one big banker was indicted under Obama for their massive fraud leading to the 2008 collapse. Just as Obama promised them, he protected them from "the pitchforks". In fact, they ended up enriched beyond their wildest dreams.
I like Biden, and I will vote for him if he is nominated, but he wants to go back to the 2016 line of "Everything is fine, we just need to nibble around the edges a little. " Simply untrue. We need massive structural changes to save capitalism from its worst enemy - itself.
4
The slide to our unconscionable income disparity began with Reagan. His much-vaunted name is too often left out of the conversation. Facts, sadly, don’t change minds.
10
Please focus on that which my more reasonable friends and relatives insist on saying: that the economy is doing great, and Trump gets the credit. Then they quote the low unemployment, and the stock market. This balloon needs some relentless, and true, puncturing if the Dems are going to win in Nov. I am not an expert but the questions I can think of are: how is unemployment being measured? What role does the rising national debt play (contra Keynes)? There were days when the smell that rose off from Maine rivers and took the finish off of cars was called "the smell of money" from the mills upstream. You cannot eat fish from downstream Mississippis water due to chemical plants (see Strangers in their Own Land). Is a just democracy incompatible with "free market capitalism?" Warren is trying hard to weigh in on this issue, but you can help lot. Put it this way: he is so fake, his economic claims have to be.
3
Trump is using Jews as Benito Mussolini did who, through his rhetoric, even got many to follow in his fascism, but then he gave them over to Hitler.
Remember, please, that Mussolini's cospirator in development of fascism was his Jewish mistress. Thus to know the story of Mussolini is to know where Trump will ultimately leave Jewish Americans. And wouldn't it be self-fulfilling because leadership of major Jewish organizations have stood by silently as his rhetoric incited waves of anti-Semitism?
In the world of Trump; black is white and down is up down, hence when black or Jewish ethnicity ignore he's proclaimed being a (white)nationalist is considered white nationalists' soul mate - what should any of us expect?
3
Since 2016 (and before), every time trump praised Netanyahu or vice versa I got sick to my stomach and my fears for my children and grandchildren got deeper and deeper. He is the worst thing that ever happened to Jews. Kushner at his side makes it worse.
9
Yes Dr. Krugman. All this despite having Jewish grandchildren. Nothing’s sacred ... except himself. His massive mirror has made him blind.
6
"There are things more important than your tax rate."
Seriously, Mr. Krugman and NYT editors? Have you learned nothing about hydrophobic, antisemitic stereotypes and tropes over the years and particularly over the past months?
There are at least as many Jewish Americans who believe your president is not good for Jews, for fellow Americans, or for America as valid and vibrant constitutional democrat republic as there are American Jews and others who approve of your current president. And most of their opinions, on both/all sides of that divide, have little or nothing to do with tax rates or any other personal financial matter.
Once again, and unfortunately now to a writer I respect, I find myself wondering, sadly and angrily, how low can you go? :(
6
The Old Testament pictures the Jews as a highly vulnerable group whose saving grace is their "righteousness" (which includes caring for widows and orphans) and their adherence to the Law (the 10 Commandments). Jewish liberalism has very deep roots!
5
Ya said it correctly!
3
All good except that Jewish voters might start fleeing the Democratic party if anti-semites like Rep. Omar are successful in getting the Democratic party to support her racist agenda. No surprise that the recent House measure supporting the 2 state solution was opposed by the far right (the entire Republican Party) and Reps. Omar and Talib.
5
@Chazak Nobody, except the voters in her district, cares about Rep. Omar. She is one congresswoman who does not have a racist agenda. Stop being ridiculous.
1
@Dan B Jewish people know anti-semitism when we hear it. We won't be outsourcing the decision on what constitutes racism to people like you. Not any more than the African American community would let white people decide what constitutes anti-black racism. Rep. Omar came out of the gate with a full slate of racist statements about Jews. We know what she said, you wouldn't understand.
To all those who will point out that Trump's son in law is Jewish, I would like to point out that Hitler himself got along with his Jewish comrades during WWI, and was even put up for his Iron Cross by a Jewish officer, as Timothy Snyder has reminded NYT readers:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/opinion/hitler-speech-1919.html
One might add, that Göring's right hand man Field Marshal Erhard Milch was Jewish under the Nuremberg race laws, which prompted Göring to declare "I decide who's a Jew and who isn't."
In short, some Jews may be safe from Trump's anti-semitism and that of his base, but that doesn't make him a friend of the Jews.
10
Trump has Jewish grandchildren. Trump is married to an immigrant. The Democrats make fun of her accent. The Democrats take the African American vote for granted and really just work to keep that group in poverty. African American have done better under Trump than ever before. Trump a racist? Come on!
5
@Dan Locker
Gosh, thank God someone finally brought up that Donald Trump has Jewish grandchildren. That's such a good point, because that proves he could never, and would never, traffic in anti-Semitic propaganda to appeal to the white supremacists and bigots in his base.
I mean, it's just inconceivable. Because Jared Kushner.
1
"And some of the audience deserves that contempt. As I said, people are pretty much the same whatever their background. There are wealthy Jews who are sufficiently shortsighted, ignorant or arrogant enough to imagine that they can continue to prosper under a white nationalist government."
A perfect explanation for Gary Cohn, Steven Mnuchin & Jared Kushner!
8
Oy vey, nyc Jew here. 60 year old man. Trump has been saying for months, don’t vote democrat or they will raise your taxes. He says the same message at sone Jewish conference and suddenly he’s stereotyping jews? I think it’s Krugman who is perpetuating the stereo, not Trump
11
Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to anyone in this country. I especially feel worried for persons of color, people who are Jewish, people who are Muslim, people who identify as non-Christians, people who are LGBTQ, etc. The list goes on and on. Hate crimes are on the rise .
Also, evidence from people close to Trump indicates that he has a type of affinity for Adolph Hitler- whether it be Hitler’s books, speeches, etc. (see Snopes regarding this )
That is truly scary.
4
As long as Trump wants to Make America White Again is as long as American Jews will be in durance vile under Trump's hatred-laced identity politics. Most of your ethnic group, Dr. Paul, understanding that Donald Trump is bad for the Jews, has your back.
2
PAUL KRUGMAN
Economist
writer
jew
I never knew you were Jewish until this morning...didn't care...still don't. To me, you're just an Opinion writer in the NYT who sometimes drifts into politics when he should stick with economics. All your article did for me today was put Jews back in a box where they don't belong. Trump loves to hang signs around peoples neck. I grew up with a Jewish grandmother living next door and her daughter and family across the street. They were friends and neighbors first and way down among the subtitles of that book was a small word that said Jew. People don't belong in boxes. Boxes are things children use to separate stuff in. Children live in a fantasy world, a world of illusions. They are either in a state of absolute bliss or absolute terror. Trump lives in that world and wants us to join him. THE BOX PARADOX - can't live with um, can't live without um.
I'm a Jew and this box fits me fine.
Sheldon Adelson deserves attention. He supports Trump and right wing Israeli causes with significant money....and is a committed Jew - though a misunderstanding one.
1
Perhaps Ron Lauder, who appears keen on Trump and fighting anti Semitic behavior, should speak with you.
2
From my essay:
"Amassing of riches has distracted these men and women from the pursuit of righteousness and the keeping of Jewish tradition, whether secular or religious. Their greed and hunger in their haste to become the WASP’s equal has made them forget an important lesson: absolute power corrupts absolutely. It has also made them forget that hatred for the Jew is still as deep and rampant as ever and, in times of trouble, that hatred rises like mercury. In America – in the world – no matter how white you look, how many riches you’ve earned and praise received, at the end of the day, you’re still Black, still a Jew, and they still hate both. Respectability has never afforded salvation in the face of racism.
Wealthy Jews have infected Israeli politics as well as American politics. Gone are the days when Jews, rich, poor, and anywhere along the middle, were united in agreement. As Israel has sunk lower into colonialist behavior at the egging of wealthy American Jews, American Jewry has been ripped apart.” https://tinyurl.com/tlpx4kj
The oligarchy is in it for itself. In this respect, Jews are no different from anyone else. The time to rebel is now, if a rebellion is even possible anymore.
Bernie Sanders, for all of the rigid dogma he is steadfast on, represents the very best in Jewish values: human dignity, honesty, and fairness to all. That doesn't make him self-hating, as the Jewish papers have accused him of being, but someone who has learned from our history.
4
Always transactional, always about money. Love, honor, sympathy, humility and empathy, values useless to Trump. His empty soul cares only for the bank statement, it is the only part of life that sates him.
He thinks he has figured us all out, in this case American Jews. The grotesque “you have to vote for me” because Democrats would raise their taxes could mean many things to him. A poke in the eye perhaps, a you have no other choice Trump lol or even an overture to stick with me I'll make it rain. Who knows what levers he is attempting to push, what day is it?
It takes your breath away when step back and realize just how hollow Trump is.
Trump is completely oblivious to his bigotry. His comments illustrate clearly that he has no internal voice that would have informed him of the deeply insulting nature of his impromptu speech. He says that he isn't a bigot. Although it's hard to believe that he could be so oblivious, he has no idea what bigotry is. He simply repeats tropes that define the unfounded, undiminished history of antisemitism that has recently reared its ugly head.
1
SO our choice is between the party that thinks we are money grubbers versus the party of Ilan Omer and AOC?
Easy. We know how to deal with those classic anti-semites. Been dealing with them for centuries. We can see them coming a million miles away.
But the snowflakes and liberals cannot admit to the intrinsic anti-semitism that exists in their own party.
And that scares me far more.
7
The red hat should read “make America anti-somatic again “
As a well-educated, relatively upscale American Jew, I find this man to be a bigot, a racist; and yes, definitely anti-Semitic. I have difficulty understanding why any Jewish person would ever vote for him.
3
Donald Trump and his continued support of "very fine people" will continue to be a problem for us long after he is removed from office. Whether that happens via impeachment, the ballot box or after completing a second term the only thing that we can be sure of is that the racial, ethnic, and religious tensions that exist will only be pulled tighter.
While I think it is a low probability risk, I do worry that in the case of a Warren, Sanders, or Biden presidency that enough of these people will lose their tenuous grip on reality to the point that we see violence on the streets. We shouldn't fool ourselves into believing that people with these malignant ideologies do not infest all of our institutions. Including the police, military, legislative and judicial branches of government.
Now more than ever, decent people have a moral imperative to vote for their collective self-interest
3
Mr. Krugman, I read your insights all the time and want to commend you on writing this piece from your heart.
2
I usually agree with Professor Krugman but not this time. The only "accomplishment" Trump can cite is the tax law he signed that benefits t he top earners. He asked for their support because it affects their taxes. Trump has given Israel, in particular Netanyahu, everything. He has reversed American policy in favor of Israel. He has appointed his son-in-law, an Orthodox Jew, with no diplomatic experience, as his chief diplomat dealing with Israel and the Middle East. This does not make him anti-Semitic. The other issue is Saudi Arabia. What are the financial ties between Trump and Kushner with the corrupt Saudi leadership?
Thank you Dr. Krugman for finally beginning to use the word regime instead of administration in regards to this horror show. Words have meaning.
3
My dad always said that all you had to do to turn Democrats into Republicans was to give them enough money. I fervently hope that he was wrong.
2
I agree with much of PK's column says, but he doesn't explain why a significant minority of American Jews (i.e. Shedlon Adelson, David Friedman, Stephen Miller, the people in the room that applauded Trump, etc.) support Trump. I think the unfortunate fact is that, for some American Jews, support for Netanyahu's Israel and anxiety about progressive sympathy for the Palestinians override concerns about right-wing anti-Semitism. Others, I suspect, are comfortable with discrimination against minorities so long as it does not include them.
1
To quote the late, great Garry Shandling, when he asked his girlfriend if the sex was good for her, she replied: "I don't think this was good for anybody."
Such as it is with Trump.
2
Trump care about Jews? Blacks? Immigrants? Anyone?
Of course not. It's all about the money to him.
But who's really listening?
Right now we have more people in this country who know more about a Peloton commercial than what Trump said about Jews, or if military troops are dying in Afghanistan.
As others have mentioned, it's time to bring back the draft.
While it seems unrelated to environmental issues, healthcare, etc., that one action will increase people's attention on what their leaders are doing.
And more importantly, it will make them (hopefully) vote.
2
What Professor Krugman misses is that Trump’s major Jewish support comes not from rich Jews but from orthodox ones who voted overwhelmingly for him because they share his conservative agenda and his status as the unwelcome outsider. Unfortunately they fail to recognize that he sees them with no less contempt than they co-religionists.
3
The distinction between "supporting Israel" -- affirming its right to exist -- and supporting the oppressive and illegal policies and actions of recent Israeli governments is perfectly clear, but seems to be lost on many Americans, and is vociferously denied by Trump and his supporters. I think contempt for Palestinians and *their* right to exist fits well with contempt for Latino immigrants and asylum seekers. And it seems that "support" means absolute and unquestioning loyalty.
1
Money is the root of all evil. Besides that, It never seems to be the solution for anything. However, money is the yardstick we use in the U.S. to measure our self worth, not just our net worth. Hopefully one day we can progress as a species to understand that the common good is also good for the individual. I do better when we all do better. Crony, American Capitalism is destroying our planet (Big Oil knew about CO2 dangers), influencing our elections (Facebook), and breaking apart social contracts (racism, hate and fear mongering). We can do better. Peace.
1
many of my best friends are Jews and many in my family are Jews. In fact, my daughter converted to Judaism. This is what Trump and his supporters will say so once again, you are preaching to the choir
1
This version of the GOP resembles “fratty bros” who never grew up. They remain self unaware, selfish, spoiled, bratty, puerile, unaccountable. It’s amazing to witness. But not totally unexpected. Over the last 40 years we’ve watched them slide down into this “party” where their most important idea is supporting the rich (which is difficult because you have to be constantly on your knees in front of them begging for cash).
And ironically, all Trump supporters who wanted accountability from these guys got just the opposite. “I won’t think for myself so spoon feed me alternative facts while I hate my life” they seem to say. And there are so many of them.
No comment necessary. The heading says it all. Stereotypes exist for a reason. The question is, Do you want to be categorized or be a decent human being? You can't be both.
The top one percenters coupled with Citizens United are a real threat to our republic in much the same way as Trump and his GOP enablers are. The rise in anti-Semitism and white supremacy is real and the spread of hate and violence terrifying. It seems as though the Koch’s, the Mercers, the Murdoch’s et. al., are getting what they’ve paid for — power to control the government to fuel rigid hatred of the other, to implement policies reflecting a vile intolerance for anything beyond their creepy world view.
Moreover, I wonder whether foreign donations (such as Russia) filtered to the NRA have been funding the most vocal Trump supporters in the GOP — perhaps it is almost all of them.
1
Donald Trump is bad for everything.
You can start with Jews, but then you can immediately add minorities (which encompasses the Jewish population), farmers, Democrats, Republicans (critically endangered), workers of every stripe (the recent jobs report notwithstanding; the months before Christmas traditionally see a significant bump in employment, nearly all minimum wage), women, Trump's base even (though they refuse to see it, the blindest of the blind), and the list people could go on until Comments' character count is exceeded and we still wouldn't get to lesser things like the climate, the oceans, the forests and all the critters they (used to) support.
Trump is to Earth as the rotten apple is to the barrel. No good comes from it.
4
Let's ditch the cliches and call the extremely wealthy that lean extremely right-wing as greedy oligarchs, and attire is the only think oligarchs change from one generation to another.
Any American president would be good for the Jews if he or she is good for the US. A strong US is good for everyone.
Now, it depends on your definition of what makes the US strong...
The highest profile Jews in the Trump Administration are his son-in-law (Jared Kushner) and Stephen Miller...neither of whom could be held up as being representative of what Judaism is all about.
Jared Kushner's shameful silence over Trump's 'fine people' claim about white supremacists marching in Charlottesville - and Stephen Miller's institutionalized persecution of minorities seeking a better life in the USA, are antithetical to Hebraic literature and teachings. Anti-Semitism is not a standard in this Administration - the pursuit of money and the power it delivers is. Front and center.
The association of 'Jews and money' has historical origins in persecution. Diamonds and cash were more easily concealed than bricks and mortar, livestock or land. Your home, farm or cows were there for all to see, were fair game and readily seized...but pocketable assets were the means of Jewish survival for centuries. And while that has changed - the stigma remains and stigma is Trump's weapon of choice.
3
Donald Trump is great for the Jews. He did two things that has changed Israel for good. First, US has moved the embassy to Jerusalem and recognized that it is the capital of Israel. Second, US admitted that occupied West Bank settlement belongs to Israel. These things are difficult to reverse even if a Democratic candidate won the presidency in 2020.
Jews has been very active since Donald Trump became the president. They work behind the scene like always. They work hard and push Trump into their arms. Trump is a businessman, and Jews are good at business.
@Usok
"US has moved the embassy to Jerusalem and recognized that it is the capital of Israel. Second, US admitted that occupied West Bank settlement belongs to Israel."
These may be popular in some circles today, but they make peace in the Middle East far less likely in the long run. Israel must win every war; its enemies need win only once.
Obviously Bernie Sanders and Michael Bloomberg are about as far apart as you can imagine in the Democratic primary. (For the record, neither are among my top four or five choices.)
But the one thing they have in common, other than advanced age, is the Jewish faith, and if either wins the nomination, expect to see anti-Semitic ugliness at a level unprecedented in American history. White nationalism is all they have.
1
I'm reminded of the cartoons of my youth in which a person, perplexed by indecision, has an Angel and a Devil perched on either shoulder beside their ears, one suggesting the righteous, the other wrong. Ironically, the misled masses of our nation, largely compliant with the righteousness suggested by the Angel, have succumbed to the wrong of the evil desires suggested. It isn't just Jews. It is the nation, and the world. To be truly dedicated to equality, one must recognize that all people are of the same cloth who worship the same God, but in different ways. Even secular people must wonder about a God, and that in of itself should tell them to believe something or someone created that instinct. Is it proof? Could be. I was actually surprised at your writing as it indicates a frustration at the deception of Jews by Trump who has pandered to the group at the exclusion, even hate, of others. To me I see an alternate motive, like maybe buildings in the West Bank? Would anybody be surprised now?
Very imaginative, well written article.
1
Remember when Trump was giving a speech, and he saw a black man in the crowd, and he pointed to him and said "Oh, look at my African American over here!"? "My" African American. Funny how he characterizes his African American support in the singular tense. He's right about that. Singular. Not plural.
Has he said "Oh, look at my Jew over here" or "Oh, look at my Asian over here" yet? Give it time. It's coming. And it will still be in the singular tense for them, too. And Trump's perspective will still be possessive, as in, ownership. "My".
Trump's bigotry knows no bounds.
4
Donald Trump is bad for the Jews compared to whom? The 35% of the Democratic party that supports the Omar/Tlaib/AOC BDS wing? That would compromise Israeli security to create Gaza in the West Bank? That no Democratic candidate can be elected without its full throated support? That is surely drifting in the direction of the British Labor party? Trump says outrageous things. That's Trump. I wish he wouldn't. But he has been a fervent supporter of Jewish life and causes, here and in Israel. That is also Trump. Again, bad compared to whom?
2
I am a Trump hater (sorry Nancy) who has friends who like Trump. One of those friends tells me he's seeing "a lot more anti semitic comments" on his Trump supporting on line sites where the comments often refer to Schiff and Nadler. Are others hearing or seeing a similar trend?
2
Dr Krugman is usually a superlative rhetorician (agree with his points or not), so I'm surprised about this really ridiculous piece.
Put another way, he does not even bother to acknowledge, even if to then dismiss, that large numbers of people read events other than he does.
For example, the AIC JEWISH audience, whom Trump is addressing, and are cheering for him, and laughing at his attempts at humor, what about these people?
Is Dr. Krugman saying they are too stupid to perceive they are being "peddled" anti-semitism directly to their faces?
There is in fact a strong case to be made that Trump, as vile a person and bad for America as he is, is not anti-semitic at all.
2
Even Caitlyn Jenner (finally) got her head out of her tax returns...
To my fellow Jews who are Trumpers:
1. We've ALWAYS appeared on lists of "undesirables."
2. What do Richard Spencer, David Duke, et al notice about Trump that you can't, don't or won't?
3. It can't happen here? Really?
4. If "alternative facts" are as good as "facts", then every anti-semitic trope is as good as its refutation.
5. Just because you declare you are on the "team" doesn't mean "the team" agrees that you are on it, especially when that "team" takes total, unaccountable power.
3
Everything Trump is captured by the fact that he is the most corrupt and unethical president we have ever had in this country. And as he puts people in positions of power who will show blind loyalty to his corruption, Trump's power is spreading like a cancer throughout our government.
The next play is the Durham report that Barr commissioned. It will be filled with lies intent on damaging the FBI and intelligence agencies as well as Trump's political opponents. Barr will refuse to allow public or any disclosure of the underlying facts--they will be lies and half truths--and start making indictments of law enforcement and intelligence officials as well as political opponents.
As with Ukraine, the intent is not so much the goal of incarcerating anyone as it is to cause Americans to no longer have faith in our institutions, politicians, and government.
And even though this patently serves Putin, it is driven more by Trump and his venal need for power. Republicans will acquiesce and applaud the whole way.
The friend of my enemy is my enemy is the biggest risk Israel faces. The appearance that Israelis love Trump makes it difficult for traditional supporters of Israel to continue to do so. Even if it isn't the reality and just appearance pushed by right wingers both here and in Israel.
1
Tens of thousands of Jews supported the Führer, there were "logical" arguments for that. It is not only the politicians, but the masses also are capable of some convoluted thinking. This is not unusual, as political science has documented repeatedly, that people vote against what one would think was their best interests - especially the wealthy and highly educated. People may, for instance, identify with Trump's impatience and ruthlessness more than what they profit.
Krugman is shortsighted. The Democratic party has been infiltrated by extreme leftists (i.e. The Squad) who hate Israel and have proven to openly display their antisemitism with support for terrorist groups who kill Israeli children. (This was the group who funded Tlaib's visit when she refused the Senatorial Israel trip with her fellow congressional delegates).
Trump has made Jerusalem the capital, legitimized the Golan Heights and befriended the Israeli government (unlike Obama). Four of the Democratic candidates (Amy Klobuchar,Sanders, Warren & Buttiegieg) all attended the last J Street conference professing their commitment to withdrawing monetary support to Israel and giving it to Gaza instead, if Israel doesn't bow down to their demands for a 2 state solution while all the while, the Palestinians only desire Israel's destruction. They do not seek a 2 state solution. Most American Jews have little to no knowledge of Jewish of history nor do they understand Israeli Politics. They want to impose their idealistic views on Israel while living in the safety & security of the U.S. Make Aliyah and see how you feel then.... For the most part, Holocaust Survivor groups, Second Generation and the Modern Orthodox/Orthodox support Trump. The last election proved that Jews have been leaving the Democratic party.
As for referring to Trump as a white nationalist, I fear the Squad more. White nationalists don't surround themselves with Jews.
4
@ Deb,
Who does David Duke support? Who does Richard Spencer support? Who does Andrew Anglin support? Who does Jared Taylor support? Who does Alex Jones support? Which group of supporters used Nazi propaganda and chanted "Hail Trump" in D.C. immediately after the 2016 election? Which candidate's flags were waved side by side with the Confederate flag and swastikas in Charlottesville? Which president's rhetoric was quoted verbatim by both the Pittsburgh and Poway synagogue shooters?
Go ahead pay off the party of white nationalism with your support. They'll let you hide behind them for awhile, and they'll reward you with a better boxcar when they eventually come for you.
2
As a member of a Holocaust family, I'm terrified of the looming white nationalist Trump autocracy. After his support for Neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville in support of white racial superiority while chanting "Jews will not replace us," my alarm bells started ringing. Then, when his hysterical rhetoric about an "invasion" by a "caravan" of immigrants led to one of his followers massacring 11 Jews in their Pittsburgh synagogue, fear set in. Finally, when another three Jews were gunned down in their Poway synagogue, I knew for certain that "Never Again" had come to America and that all Jews needed to remember, as I do, the fate of my German Jewish relatives who believed they were safe. They were not! Neither are we.
4
When I say that some of this Greeks closest friends are Jews it is not a talking point. My girl of decades also happens to be a Jew. Religious they are not.
What is instructive is my friend, who shares a common hobby that brings us together, he is 81 years old.
He was born and raised in America. He told me he was raised in a Jewish household, but did not find out he was Russian until he was in high school. His dads friend told him his last name was not the short one he thought it was but ended in "niskie".
Turns out when his dad was a very little boy ,before the First World War, his family uprooted from Russia and ended up in Scotland. His Grandfather got out as the Pogroms were in full swing and he saw the writing on the wall.
His dad ended up in the USA and never talked about his childhood in Russia.
My 81 year old friend has done well for himself economically, not rich but well, is an old school conservative who thinks the Republican Party should "mind its own business on "Social Issues". My friend has an old American attitude that people should mind their own business.
I have lunch with him twice a week. When we talk about current events he just will not believe that the social order is going to soon digress into a mess in the USA. He has normalcy bias really bad.
He thinks Trump is an idiot by that he speaks to a group of people that everyone has ignored. He thinks that is important.
I suspect that his Grandfather would be concerned about something else.
Trump embraces white nationalism, hatred and bigotry, and as Krugman points out here "You have to be willfully ignorant of the past not to know where all this leads. Indeed, it’s happening already: anti-Semitic incidents have soared (and my hate mail has gotten … interesting)." Favoring Trump tax policies and his support of Netanyahu over the loss of life that comes with the anti-Semitism that Trump promotes is a bad choice.
3
Donald Trump is bad for everyone, including himself.
1
I always thought the attraction of Evangelicals to Jews had to do with forcing them to convert to Christianity so Evangelicals’ intolerant Sky God would come back to earth. I never thought it had to do with Evangelicals actually liking Jews. That would be impossibility given the racism, bigotry and intolerance that are the hallmarks of the Evangelical faith.
3
I did not know that Paul Krugman was a comedian.
The problematic of Donald and the Jewish electorate is... problematic, but probably has much to do with Donald's higher-profiling of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bigotry.
Meanwhile, imagine Donald going into a Jewish tailor shop: "This is a nice shop ya got here, would be a shame to see something happen to it."
May all of us, red, white, blue, pink, Catholic, Jewish, East Indian, Black, what ever, pull together and rid ourselves of this rot we call the gop, and the stable genius that sits atop the throne. Vote blue folks. Democracy depends on it.
1
As a Nobel winning economist Krugman, if anyone, should know that the rational person acts in his or her own economic self interest. That is the basis of all economic theory. To turn a simple appeal to that truism into an anti-Semitic attack on Trump is really beneath the professor and makes one wonder why the NY Times, who has used Krugman's academic and economic fame to create a patina of evenhandedness for his otherwise common place political party hack writings , would continue to afford him such a platform.
2
In terms of charitable giving, let's not forget that the poor typically give proportionately more of their annual income to charity than do the rest of us.
3
As an American Jew, I've been on edge since this deplorable man gained his unearned office. I, personally, have seen an upsurge in anti-Semitism and find it unimaginable my people are subjected to this kind of hatred again.
Every American and every person around the world need to understand that this hatred and discrimination could happen to them. It seems to land on Jews because it's an ancient hatred and it's easy to dredge up and replay it.
It's unconscionable that a president would make these kinds of comments, or champion one group over another. Not only is he bad for Jews, he's bad for the soul of our country and dreams and ambitions of our children.
647
@Michael
You have got to be kidding.
12
@Pamela L. Lots of hate crimes against Jews in NYC. Many have been captured by surveillance cameras. Most don't appear to be Trump supporters.
5
@A Mazing
Thanks for your substantive reply.
1
Sadly, I remain bitter and aggrieved that Paul Krugman never acknowledged let alone replied to emails I sent him regarding the PhD dissertation I was working on in the UK. However, my personal feelings aside, I still feel Krugman is the best Op-Ed writer working in the US. He never fails to offer great insight and speak truth to power. It is not iconoclasm for the sake of it, it is the voice of authenticity and honesty in a world of misinformation, partisanship and madness.
2
@Mark It's impressive that despite a personal grievance against him, you still rate Krugman as the best of the opinion columnists. His mind is first-rate, of course, but what puts him in the must-read category for me are his solid democratic values. He moves in a rarified social circle of New York City intellectual elite, from which it'd be easy to take on snobbish attitudes toward plebeians who toil for a living and haven't the time or the education to understand the intricacies of public policy, yet he speaks up for them, and to them. The "very fine people" who in Charlottesville shouted out racist slogans have been manipulated by the Alt-Right and its financial backers into proto-facist attitudes and beliefs, but Krugman condemns only their words and actions, not their humanity. He wants to stop or change them, not kill them.
His neglect of your request for help on a Ph.D. dissertation is sad, but not surprising. With the volume of mail, e- and otherwise, that he must get, it could be difficult to read, much less answer, every request for some response from him. That said, I twice received postcards with short answers from John Updike when I sent him messages. Other than sheer volume, the difference may be that I sent some information that I thought would interest him, not requests for help. You might try this approach if you want to hear from Paul Krugman.
The real disturbing quality about Trump is that he projects his own image onto everyone. We are all shadows on the wall and he is the Sun King. His main motivation is self interest; therefore that must be our main motivation too.
In my college years my fellow philosophy majors and I would ramble the streets of New Brunswick, NJ, joking about 'the world's greatest solipsist'. Who knew that we would elect one as President 50 years hence.
4
Putin did the World a huge disservice when he assisted Trump in his election bid. Of course, that's what Putin does, that was his purpose from the beginning.
7
@JRM Blaming foreigners for our current troubles is tempting but - as the example of President Trump shows - dangerous. Trump, however he got into office - is a magnification of many of America's worst traits. Crowds of Americans at Olympic events chanting "We're number one!" have turned out to be a foretaste of Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda: we're number one because we turn immigrants and refugees away or lock their kids in cages; great because we punish other economies for successfully competing with ours; great because we refuse to slow down or even acknowledge climate change; great because we deny workers a living wage or adequate health care; great because we stir up animus against our own racial and ethnic minorities. You can continue this list as well as I. Money and power - that's what the U.S. at its worst is about and has always been, and that's what Trump believes in and embodies. There are better angels of our nature, too, and these need to come to the fore once again.
1
I think you also pointed to a key difference between the two parties. Despite their projecting of this quality onto the Democrats, the Republicans are tribal and obsessed with identity politics.
The Democratic Party is an ideologically and ethnically diverse coalition. We're basically America minus old, white, uneducated men and the super wealthy.
Democrats are "real America"; Republicans are "Senate America."
5
I spend around one hundred nights a year traveling and staying in mid-priced chain hotels all across the country. I've made many friends among South Asian families that have rolled the dice on the American Dream by operating them. It has been a path to success for a great many, with the next generation rising academically. Different occupation, same route that my Irish and German ancestors took. I felt an unmistakable tension this summer when I checking out from a stay after one of Trump's egregious racist displays. I swore I could read the manager's thoughts: "Do I have to go back to where I came from, too?"
11
Donald Trump is bad for everyone and everything.
13
Not all Jewish people think that Israel was a good idea. Or, to make a wider point, that religion has a place in government.
And yet, some might say they "support" Israel, meaning that, now that it's here, they don't want it destroyed.
6
Members of minority groups who support Trump just for their economic self interest are enabling Trump’s Make America White Again appeal to his base which can lead to ethnic cleansing civil war genocide of minority groups as the only way for white nationalists to reverse otherwise inevitable demographics of a white minority
1
"Was he peddling an anti-Semitic stereotype, portraying Jews as money-grubbing types who care only about their wealth? Of course he was."
Uh, no. The full speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YlonD037SQ
Anyone who watches the speech in context can plainly see that his remarks were tongue-in-cheek, as evidenced by constant enthusiastic cheering and laughter from the mostly Jewish audience. No one in his right mind would think otherwise. It's unfortunate that, as is so often the case, he was quoted out of context, and some Jewish groups took offense. It was actually one of the most pro-Israel and pro-Jewish speeches I've ever heard.
Mr Krugman, your characterization is out-of-context media distortion, par excellence.
"The Trump administration is, beyond any reasonable doubt, an anti-democratic, white nationalist regime."
Sorry, this very speech shows that this characterization is a vile, poisonous falsehood.
1
@Michael
Thank you for posting the link to the speech. It shows a much different Trumph than is portrayed in the news media and by late night comedians. It was well worth an hour to watch the speech. Many of the lines in the speech may have been written for him and he has learned to use a teleprompter quite well. It shows he is a master politician when he wants to be and not in his "apprentice" personnea.
And Jews will not replace us, chanted the very fine people of Charlotte ... wonder how the mother of the woman murdered there by Trump supporting white nationalists feel about Krugman’s characterization??
1
@Mark s
If you track down the "very fine people" remark in its actual context, you will see in the very next sentence a clear and unequivocal exclusion and condemnation of white nationalists. Sometimes people see only what they want to see, especially when other people show them only what they want to show. Out-of-context is a powerful weapon of propaganda.
It was the National Socialists who created the death camps in Germany.
It was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics whose first leader said "Jews and city dwellers on the Ukraine must be taken by hedgehog-skin gauntlets, sent to fight on front lines and should never be allowed in any administrative positions"
Their second leader created the Doctor's Plot and planned a Jewish genocide, which was only halted due to Stalin's death in 1953 - He had four concentration camps ready for the task.
As for whether Jews are richer and more generous than the average I should urge caution to Mr Krugman, this sort of generalisation is always used to dehumanize and divide. Jews are people, good and bad, rich and poor, greedy and generous. Making claims about a "race" is not a good idea, Jews of all people should know that.
5
I hope it does not come as a surprise to Jews, Blacks, Hispanics or Asians that for whatever reasons they may have had for voting for Trump that he thinks you are lesser people and worthy of his contempt.
Trump only cares about himself and to a lesser degree his spouse and offspring. He is too insecure to trust anyone that looks or acts or thinks differently than he does.
4
Women, Jews, Blacks, Browns, Muslims, sex-based identities, disabled, sick, Free Masons, etc. -- any identity long vilified will be targeted by Trump and his GOP ilk including overturning protective laws if AG Barr has his way. No one is safe and the broader the base of "traditional hate", the more the danger. If you think you are safe, either you or someone in your family will not be. We have a sector of voters who are using hatred of others to make themselves feel better or richer. Never a good scenario. Don't believe me? Ask a woman, the universal targeted class.
4
Trump isn’t just bad for the Jews, he’s bad for humanity. Any self-respecting person should recognize that, regardless of their ethnic, religious or cultural affiliation. His comments alluding to old Jewish stereotypes only further highlight his stupidity. But, just as the author purports that American Jews support the concept of Israel - but not its leadership - consider that some American Zionists lean right, but don’t support Trump.
2
Another useless and tired tirade by Krugman. How many more utterances do we have to endure from him before he realizes that his opinions are meaningless? Trump's son - in - law is Jewish as is Ivanka when she converted. Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. As you were saying Mr. Krugman?
2
@August Braun Israel is a State with independent material interests that have nothing to do with the religion of any citizen, certainly not of any American. Trump's son-in-law can best be described as "coming from an orthodox sect." There are sects in the USA that would, I submit, tar-and-feather you, Mr. Braun, before they let you into their town center.
@August Braun Interesting how you felt the need to reply to such a "meaningless" opinion.
A good article but doesn't comment upon Trump's pandering to Netanyahu's far right coalition of bigots and crooks. There are some who support Trump believing he is 'good for Israel' because the US embassy will now be in Jerusalem and settlement construction is no longer 'illegal' according to Trump.
To which I reply 'Show me who you walk with and I will tell you who you are.'
Righteousness is better than self-interest any day of the week. Identifying with and supporting this monstrous presidency will be 'terrible for the Jews' once this grifter has been sentenced.
1
I'm an American Jew who worked very hard and succeeded, but there is more to a "good life" than just money. A "good life" requires a government that respects the rule of law which Trump does NOT. A "good life" demands clean air, clean water and a habitable environment which Trump seeks to destroy. A "good life" CANNOT occur where a misguided president pits one race against another and foments hatred.
If Americans would GOOGLE "fascism", they will learn what Trump is all about and how fascism killed six million Jews. No amount of wealth can ever offset the damage Trump is inflicting to say nothing of his exacerbation of Climate Change.
IMHO, four men seek to destroy an America that been good to me and millions more. They are Trump, Barr, Pence and McConnell so my message is for Pelosi and Schiff. It is painfully obvious the senate will NEVER remove Trump. Therefore, use every waking minute to investigate and identify as many charges against Trump and his cohorts you can find. Let the rancid stench from the WH reek in the nose of every American so when the 2020 election occurs, we toss these miscreants out of power.
4
Krugman inadvertently slipped in his own stereotype when he said, without facts, that American Jews are considerably more affluent than the average. Average what?
" Trump is bad for the Jews, whatever tax bracket we happen to be in." And for all of us, especially those of us who are not rich.
1
Always back the horse named self-interest.
The fact of the matter is that on the whole, apart from a vocal minority of the "woke", the poor and stupid will vote against their interests in fear of the unknown while the wealthy will vote to benefit their hip pockets.
Like identity politics & those driven by single issues, many among us choose their Pres based on single issues. For many Jews, this is their one issue! As a Jew, who is neither religious nor liberal, realistic/not idealistic, intellectual & well educated, yet deeply exposed to many types of Americans (type of exposure that knows that there is a difference between the clingy coastal elites & the rugged individualism that is pervasive elsewhere), well travelled & fortunate, I love what Trump is doing. I think it’s great that people like Krugman are flipping out. I could do without the lies, however. Where I live, everyone has the same views and no one dares express anything different. It’s not surprising that a bunch people who rarely travel outside of their comfort zone & get their headlines from the same sources (like NYT, MSNBC, CNN) would even consider that people elsewhere are capable of making their own decisions. When someone says I disagree and I like Trump’s disruptive nature, you suggest their opposition must mean they are a racist - strong Israel/no 2 state solution = racist, support Trump = racist, think Adam Schiff is a liar = ?. We are living in a time where our Republic is biting back at the Power zip codes described in Murray’s “Coming Apart”. Deal with it constructively and stop hating so much. Stating that Trump is an anti-Semite is wrong. We all want a better world. Just be honest about it!
3
Krugman, a secular Jew at best, could not be more wrong about it. A hate of Trump clouds his vision
Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , a goal shared b all Israelis
He supports the annexation of the West Bank
He is, for all his faults, the best friend of Israel , unlike President Obama
"For Obama and Netanyahu, a Final Clash After Years of Conflict"
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/23/world/middleeast/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-barack-obama.html
3
The sad thing is, Paul, that for the Jewish community that supports Trump, it is about the money. As I told one of my Jewish Trump supporting friends, when they get tired of the Muslims, then they will come for the Jews. You would be hard pressed to find middle class Jewish folk that would support him.
"There are wealthy Jews who are sufficiently shortsighted, ignorant or arrogant enough to imagine that they can continue to prosper under a white nationalist government."
I'd generalize this: "There are wealthy **Americans** who are sufficiently shortsighted, ignorant or arrogant enough to imagine that they can continue to prosper under a white nationalist government." It's bad for the entire country to have so much destructiveness and hatred towards a huge fraction of the population (on top of being wrong). And maybe I'd add "evil enough".
2
Dr. K's headline, "Trump is Bad for the Jews," can factually be extended to read ,"Trump is Bad for Every Living Thing on the Planet."
Save our little blue marble. Dump Trump. Vote Progressive.
Medium American Jew has his heart on the right, but only if you look from the tuchus side of the body.
trump is bad news for everybody.
3
Trump is just an ignorant impulsive narcissist who speaks without filter. Simple minded as he is, Trump may stereotype people but I don't think that he is an antisemite.
Mr. Krugman is right that most American Jews are Democrates, because of their modest origins or because of their traditional quest for social justice which they identify with the Democratic Party for mostly historical reasons.
However nowadays both parties are hostages to their extremes, and as concerning as a prolonged Trump Presidency may be, the alternative of a Squad inspired Administration hardly appears attractive to most Jews. Judging Trump on character should not make him appealing to any American, but judging him on facts like the economy, trade and what he has done for Israel make Jews pause and worry about what they hear from most of the Democrate 2020 candidates.
1
Being anti-Semitic, either overt or covert, is a vote winner. When times are threatening, Jews are the go to first target. Facts don’t matter; what matters are the centuries old tropes that are easily activated. Jews, who for some reason are considered a separate race, understand they can’t win. If we openly live our faith, we become easy targets. If Jews try to blend in, we are proven to be sneaky. Trump understands his leverage. He knows by dog whistling tropes in front of Jews, he can get some support out of fear of worse abuse from the most abusive president in our history. Trump knows his anti-Semitism will play well in general and there will be some Jews who feel they can ride or outrun the tiger. Classic Trump.
Trump is bad not only for American Jewry with his white nationalism and hateful conspiratorial demagoguery, but for all Americans with his terrible policies, disdain for our democracy, its delicate check and balances, its institutions and our free press. I wish his supporters would realize that Trump’s hateful lies are destroying the civility and respect necessary for a functioning democracy. I wish they would abandon their hero and embrace the ideals of our Constitution and guide the Republicans to join the Democrats in the impeachment and conviction of this
abusive demagogue.
1
Paul, Trump is bad for the country unless one is white, male, rich, and completely amoral. The most disturbing part of his presidency has been the GOP refusal to condemn his most outrageously incorrect statements. Rather than risk his wrath they let the lies slide by. If Trump were any other person he would have lost his job for everything he's said and done since he started campaigning for the presidency to say nothing of what he's said and done since his inauguration.
Trump is not good for Jews, women, African Americans, immigrants, etc. In fact the only groups that can unabashedly support him are those that believe in what he's saying. As a Jew I have read extensively about the history of Germany in the years between WWI and WWII. Nearly every statement Trump is making resembles statements made by Hitler and other despots of the era.
Our Founding Fathers gave us a republic (which we call a democracy now) to keep. We seem to have fallen very short of keeping it in the last few decades but especially with the election of Donald J. Trump as president.
12/9/2019 10:23pm first submit
4
Wrongful perceptions and associations are "bad for the Jews".
Jews are naturally associated with the State of Israel.
Israel is associated with the illegal and immoral acts of its current government.
The current Israeli government is associated with Donald Trump, Jared Kushner. Netanyahu, and MBS ...all suspected or known to be involved in criminal activity.
The wrongful perception is that the world's entire Jewish community supports the illegal and immoral acts and their perpetrators.
This wrongful perception has fanned the embers of anti-semitism into flare ups in several countries.
This wrongful perception has to be challenged and discredited. The cycle of associations must be broken. It is not enough to wring hands and say tsk tsk. It needs bold statements from the Jewish community against those that have created and fostered this situation.
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@Greg
There is no association that is "good for the Jews." Such belief is sand in one's eye. Anytime something goes wrong, Jews are always blamed. Jews are reviled even when things are said to be going just peachy, as evidenced by what Pastor Rick Wiles tells his followers.
Jews are not naturally associated with the state of Israel or its policies. It is a well-known fact that a majority of American Jews are opposed to oppression and imperialism, even though they support Israel's right to exist.
This kind of lack of nuance is right-wing propaganda.
I highly recommend you read what Jews actually think and write in their publications. There is a whole spectrum of views.
1
Trump is feigning support of, and demanding allegiance from the wealthiest Jews (and not all are so wealthy...) for support, just as an obscure German politician did in the 1920's to the industrialists of his day. They thought they could "control" him with their wealth. And we all know how that ended.
One last point, in case the reference may seem too obscure. Whose playbook is Trump using in issuing all his lies about his "accomplishments:"
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
Joseph Goebbels
The man was unfortunately prescient.
Paul, you tell a ghastly story albeit not new in that Trump is pretty close to the KKK and other hate-filled groups. It's a pity that audience didn't walk out on Trump.
Depressing to say, Boris Johnson has written highly Anti-Semitic prose, and a lot have inherited a legacy from Enoch Powell, and before the pro-Hitler upper class groups.
I'm not sure that things aren't worse with Australia's PM Morrison; he started as a bigot and white male supremacist: that stays. At the moment as 6 million Sydney-siders choke on hazardous air levels, and NSW is burning down, we are more infuriated by his spiteful refusal to bring in the armed forces to aid the professional fire brigades. We are losing our national parks and native animals by the minute: this right wing party only pleases Murdoch, the big miner moguls, the big banks and agribusiness. This party says, "there's nothing to see here". That is correct - today none of us can see beyond the smoke and untold damage to everything we love.
Prof. Paul Krugman may be right that by turning a blind eye towards white nationalism Trump is being harmful to American Jews. But as an Israeli Jew who worries about an existential threat posed by Iran I am very encouraged by Trump's wholehearted support of Israel.
Trump isn't bad to all Jews...only to those he has, in his usual impenetrable, ham fisted oafishness, branded as the"bad Jews". When I was growing up in Omaha in the 1950s, both my parents and my uncles were die hard, pro union Democrats. Jews and Catholics who described themselves as Republicans were few and far between. These outliers invariably lived near the Happy Hollow Country Club with their WASP friends and co-plutocrats (who twenty years earlier wouldn't have let them move into the neighborhood let alone join that club). Subsequent generations of these two demographic groups have forgotten which party it was the fed and sheltered them when they came over to this country to escape the poverty and oppression of the old world only to encounter nativist suspicion and prejudice. Now it is the height of irony that some of them are open champions of a toxic, hate mongering dufus, a narcissistic demagogue who in an effort to draw attention away from his own pronounced shortcomings, spews out similar ill will against a new wave of immigrants who, like the Jews and Catholics who came before them, are desperate to escape the dangerous turmoil of their places of origin. Thus, seeing a red yarmulke with TRUMP on it is truly cringe worthy. It should be treated as a beanie missing its propeller.
1
Jews vote largely as Democrats because their parents did before them. It takes chutzpah for never-Trumpers like Krugman to cherry pick and misinterpret a line from a very supportive speech about Jews and Israel, especially given his incredible support of Israel and the Jewish people.
Last year Trump said, “This is my pledge to you: We will confront anti-Semitism. We will stamp out prejudice, we will condemn hatred, we will bear witness. And we will act. As president of the United States, I will always stand with the Jewish people, and I will always stand with our great friend and partner, the state of Israel.”
Trump has been the only global leader to unabashedly support Israel at the UN, to confront European leaders about rising anti-Semitism, to isolate Iran for their continued efforts to destroy Israel, and to bridge diplomacy between Israel and Sunni Arab governments.
Meanwhile, from Democrats we get:
• Ilhan Omar: “all about the Benjamins” and dual loyalty -- and Democrats refusing to vote to directly condemn her for this outrage.
• Marching hand in hand with Linda Sarsour while she openly spouts anti-Semitic and anti-Israel slurs.
• Standing silently as BDS gains traction within its ranks
• Morally equating Israel to terror groups and Islamic countries of horrendous human rights abuses.
• Populating anti-Israel groups like Jewish Voices for Peace and J-Street..
There’s plenty to criticize Trump about, but it’s a hypocritical low blow to accuse him of anti-Semitism.
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@Pragmatist in CT or Ideologue in Russia:
"The German people are committed to peace" in our time - Signed, A. Hilter (paraphrased) in Munich 1938.
Just what is it about Trump that you truly care about that you believe he also cares about other than himself?
The guy has been clocked at telling over 3,000 lies since entering office. His own lawyers won't allow him to testify under oath because they believe he couldn't go 5 minutes w/out perjuring himself. There is nothing and no one that he hasn't or will not throw under the bus.
He "pledged" a healthcare system that would cover everybody. He "pledged" that he wouldn't give the rich more tax breaks. He "pledged" to hire the best people, his first pick for NSA director was convicted as spy (agent) for Russia, as has a number of people that he's hired. He's the only President to have hired a spy as NSA director.
He violated his marital vows shortly after his current wife gave birth to his son.
Trump's pledges are worth no more than the German assurances back in the 1930s. He cares nothing about anything or anyone, except as far as it will get him.
We should be thankful that he's not more intelligent nor more diabolical than he is, but then again, I don't know that he isn't (if there is a devil, and one could make a deal with him, I have absolutely no doubt anywhere inside my bones that Trump would make such a deal)
When Trump said that there were very fine people in Charlottesville chanting ‘Jews will not replace us,’ he shed any illusion of being something other than anti-Semitic.
Dr. Krugman proves once again that he is the best writer in this paper.
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Paul, Trump is bad for the country unless one is white, male, rich, and completely amoral. The most disturbing part of his presidency has been the GOP refusal to condemn his most outrageously incorrect statements. Rather than risk his wrath they let the lies slide by. If Trump were any other person he would have lost his job for everything he's said and done since he started campaigning for the presidency to say nothing of what he's said and done since his inauguration.
Trump is not good for Jews, women, African Americans, immigrants, etc. In fact the only groups that can unabashedly support him are those that believe in what he's saying. As a Jew I have read extensively about the history of Germany in the years between WWI and WWII. Nearly every statement Trump is making resembles statements made by Hitler and other despots of the era.
Our Founding Fathers gave us a republic (which we call a democracy now) to keep. We seem to have fallen very short of keeping it in the last few decades but especially with the election of Donald J. Trump as president.
12/9/2019 10:23pm first submit
11:45pm second submit
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Once again, Mr. Krugman evokes the current anti-semitic (anti - Jewish) trope: that the Jewish religion is oppressing others.
Even if someone was being oppressed, which they are not, it would be the ISRAELI governmental policies, causing the problem, not a Jewish religious cabal.
Some context: Jews comprise less than two percent of America's population. Trump is bad for the other 98 percent as well, even his supporters.
1
New slogan:
Trump, because you did bad things too!
“... Judaism ... has rarely been a religion of oppression — but that the reason was simply lack of opportunity ...”
Thank you for yanking away some of the romanticism of Judaism, and more importantly, from religions overall.
Anyone who imagines that Donald Trump and his evangelical followers actually care about Jews will be sorely disappointed. Trump cares nothing about anyone not named Trump, and the evangelicals support Israel not because they like and admire Jews, but because they need two things: 1) exactly 144,000 Jews to convert; and 2) Israel to continue to exist so that the Battle of Armageddon (Megiddo) can occur. Both of these things will supposedly fulfill the end-times prophecy set out in the Book of Revelations and thereby ensure the Second Coming of Christ. See Revelations 7:1, 14:1, 14:3 , 16:14-16. Notably, neither of these interests evinces any care for Jews as a whole.
@GMB
As an aside, I find it quite interesting, the blantent, open, attempt at manipulating the almighty into doing the bidding of the evangelicals, and their forcing Christ to make his second coming on their time table.
Who is the master and who is the servant? I'm a bit confused here.
Alas, I'm relieved from confusion by Lincoln, who said "the almighty has his own intentions."
@Tim Kane Indeed. If their God is omniscient and omnipotent, he has no need for either their assistance or their opinion.
I read the Times of Israel - a digital version of a daily Israeli newspaper. Many of the commenters to their articles love Donald Trump because he has made demonstrative displays of support to Israel - moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, proclaiming Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, supporting Netanyahu's threat to annex a portion of the West Bank. Trump's son-in-law, Kushner, is a personal friend of Netanyahu. Many speak in terms of him sent by God (taking as page from Rick Perry's playbook) as if God is a Republican, Trump is his angel and Obama is Satan. Despite his daughter's conversion to Judiasm to marry Jared Kushner, Trump has no real love for the Jews. His pro-Israel actions are only to garner American Jewish votes and he is succeeding, if we let him. While I have a strong emotional tie to Israel, I am an American first and I'm watching Trump and his lackeys destroy our democracy and sell us out to Vladamir Putin for his own personal gain. He needs to be gone.
@styleman
"Peace, Love, Hope, (the search for) Truth, Understanding, Compassion, Forgiveness, Freedom, (democratic) Socialism" - Jesus paraphrased
None of the above is associated with the GOP or Trump.
There are three types of Jews.
Religious Jews are extremely zionistic and see Israel as the only reliable safeguard against millennia of expulsions, pogroms and annihilation. Israel’s security is the number 1 issue for these Jews. Interestingly these Jews were historically largely Democrats - in love with Truman, Kennedy, Humphrey, Moynihan, Clinton, but have increasingly supported republicans as the left wing of the Democratic Party has turned against Israel.
Less religious or non religious Jews are largely liberal but are also zionists. Most of the op-ed columnists in this paper are in this category (Friedman, Cohen, Stephens, Brooks, Krugman). But they see the two state solution, not as a threat as the orthodox do, but as a means on ensuring Israels survival. Their politics in the US is not driven by what’s good for Israel, but what’s good for America. They see strong democratic values as in the best interests of the US and Israel.
Then there are the anti-zionists Jews. These are largely young, very left wing Jews, who have little affiliation with Judaism, are Jewish only because a parent was Jewish, and have little interest in continuing the heritage of the Jewish religion or the state of Israel. This is a growing group, as the Holocaust recedes from memory and young Jews feel secure in their new homeland. They are only threatened by neo-Nazis, and religious Jews whom they see as illiberal.
Thankfully most Jews are in groups 1 and 2. I hope it stays that way.
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If we have learned anything from the Tea Party and then Trump, it is the irrelevance of facts, next to tribal identity. Fox Nation believes in the Holiness of Trump, regardless of what he actually does.
So it is interesting to see the behavior of the tribes Krugman cites. Jews, Hindus, Asiatics, Muslims (obviously)... Basically, all tribes except the Old White Guy demographic (regardless of the individual's actual age or sex).
Maybe Tribalism is primarily a characteristic of only that one tribe.
When the Kushners convert to Christianity, Jewish Americans will know that it's time to get ourselves out of here. But Trump will target other minorities first (as a 'warmup' for where he and his followers are really headed).
Donald Trump is just plain bad for the human race.
1
I used to live in New York and it was common knowledge that Trump routinely told anti-Semitic jokes at parties and other gatherings. He is racist to the core and an anti-Semite to the core.
1
As usual, Krugman is wrong in this column, as well, as he is incapable of writing an independent column when he writes about Trump. First of all Trump's daughter and son in law are Jewish. Trump has fulfilled all the wishes of Israel as promised when other President's backed out after election. He condemned and took action against culprits whenever there was an attack by hate groups against Jews. Of course he reduced tax which benefits a lot of people including Jews. Still, Krugman says Trump is bad for Jews! Amazing! This statement may backfire as a lot of minority people think that Jews are taking advantage of them and may support Trump as their economic status is much better under Trump.
2
Kind of reminds me when Obama lectured that he had a “Jewish soul.” What he meant was Jews = liberal, save the world, appease, self-blame, suppress our willingness and ability to defend ourselves. The later doesn’t sit well with the left. After all, if Israel only gave the Arabs what they want there’d be peace. Sure thing.
1
How come you never see the word anti-sionism i american media, just anti-semitism?
Where I come from they are both in use, and have very different meanings.
It is my understanding, that even in Israel, there are anti-sionistic jews.
I see myself as anisionist, but no antisemite. That puts me in opposition of maybe 3 million jews, but not the other 15 million jews in the world.
Dr. Krugman, your column reminds me of how relveant Hannah Arendt's definition of antisemitism is:
a bigotry designed to sow fear among Jews and non-Jews, weaken the social fabric, and pave the way for totalitarianism.
1
Israel is now deporting workers from the Philippines who had children while working in Israel. These children have never been to the Philippines and they only know Hebrew. Netanyahu calls asylum seekers and refugees infiltrators. The right wingers are clearing out the others. They forget they were accepted by many countries during their various expulsions over the last two millennia.
“ But He was lying “. Professor, I think I love you.
Seriously.
1
Trump, in his venom, is projecting as always, but in his cloistered NYC existence, the only Jews he ever met as "equals" were New York's real estate and hedge fund goniffs, not exactly revered as moral paradigms. Ironically, both Jared Kushner and his father fall neatly within this category. And let's not forget Gary Cohn, who seems to get a pass as a member of Trump's administration. Cohn and Mnuchin, the Goldman Sachs twins, were assigned by HQ to push through the tax cut and hopefully, the public/private infrastructure scam, whereby Goldman could skim billions right off the top in "management fees". Cohn knew Trump from their days in NYC and clearly knew what he in getting into, but nothing could deter him from his mission to secure himself and his cronies a trillion dollar gift from the country. After Charlottesville, Jews looked to Cohn for signs of outrage, so he was compelled to push the story of a mythical letter of resignation, which remained untendered because of his overarching "patriotism". It was only after he got his tax cut, and it became clear the GOP had no interest in infrastructure, even if it meant looting the Treasury, that Cohn decamped back to NYC, a hero to his class. What a mensch! I still have no idea what's keeping Mnuchin on board, but clearly, he still see some way to cash in.
It's a short leap from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion to the conspiracy theories this president and his followers believe.
Obama born in Kenya? Trump found his base with that lie.
The thinly veiled antisemitism in right wing rants against George Soros? The 'Lost Cause' mythology of Neo-Confederates and their equating the Federal Government with some mysterious Deep State? The Culture War of Pat Buchanan?
I actually don't know or care if Trump is bad or good for Jews, but I know that lies are bad for everyone.
Not all of us are wealthy, but most of us are educated. You're not going to find many Jews, if any, at a Trump rally.
1
I remember being told that Milton Himmelfarb saying "Jews earn like Episcopalians but vote like Puerto Ricans." My first question was "How much do Episcopalians earn?" (I knew how Puerto Ricans voted already.)
If his daughter (the one he wanted to date) hadn't become a Jew by Choice, he'd be more openly antisemitic.
Donald Trump is bad for humanity. Period.
4
Jews very often align themselves with the underdog. As a Jew - now fallen - raised in Brooklyn I STRONGLY identified with the Dodgers. How could anyone support the Yankees with their pin-striped uniforms like those of Bankers? For those who anguished over these totally inept “bums”, it was easy to understand the plight of the poor. Bernie, anyone?
1
Jewish people tend to lean left on social issues and President Trump has been supporting conservatives on many of those issues that have importance to them. Catholics are pretty much split in voting for a Democratic or Republican candidate but more voted for President Trump in 2016. Progressive liberals do not like President Trump so they will always claim he is not good for any group whatever. There are those who totally disagree and think he has been doing great for our country no matter race or religion. He still has his supporters and is bound to be re-elected.
Trump is not just bad for Jews. Trump's racism means he is bad for people of color, including immigrants. Trump's misogyny means he is bad for women. Trump's willingness to lock children in cages means he is bad for human rights. Trump's efforts to take away health care from tens of millions means he is bad for the sick and the desperate. Trump's tax cuts for the wealthy means he is bad for the poor and the needy. Trump's criminal behavior means he is bad for the rule of law. Trump's support of ruthless dictators worldwide means he is bad for freedom and democracy. Trump's allegiance with the forces of climate change means he is bad for most living creatures on the planet.
Can Americans -- all Americans -- see through the thin veneer of their own self-interests and work to do what is best in ridding ourselves of the toxicity that Trump so brazenly represents? Over the course of the next year we will find out the answer to that question, and we should hope that it does not haunt our children for generations to come.
741
@Blue Moon
The only group Trump isn't bad for is the 0.01%. And of those only the ones who do not care about the world their children and grandchildren will live in. And who care nothing for their fellow human beings. It's a pretty small group, but with their hundreds of billions of dollars of Constitutionally protected speech, an immensely powerful one. Trump is bad for effectively all of the voters who support him. Sadly they are misled by right wing corporate media and those billions of dollars of protected speech. Facebook refusing to factcheck political ads is just one more brick in the wall of disinformation isolating Trump voters from the real world.
45
@Blue Moon
Trump and proto-dictators everywhere are bad for humanity period. Racism leads to Nationalism that leads to war. Don't we remember? We lived through two world wars; I doubt that humanity will survive the third one.
37
Really well written.
10
As an ex South African jew growing up in under the Apartheid Nationalist government, I can tell you that I am horrified to see the same rationalizations going on in the US as did in South Africa two decades ago. I have been living in the US since 1977 and I can't believe how quickly this country has embraced repressive policies. What is next; banning the Washington Post, Democrats? The Nationalist government introduced "the suppression of communism act" which gave them the power to shut down the press; arrest (or ban) critics without the right to see a lawyer and anything else they wanted to do.
Wake up America you are being coned
I wonder if Sheldon Adelson will read this piece.
1
From the NYT: "He spoke of “very fine people on both sides.” And of the demonstrators who rallied on Friday night, some chanting racist and anti-Semitic slogans, he said, “You had a lot of people in that group that were there to innocently protest and very legally protest.”" Is this a factually incorrect statement? There were a lot of people present, and I am sure there were many ordinary people with legitimate expressions of protest on both sides. The violence and intimidation manifest by the left since then at protests would provide further support for what Trump aid. Mr Krugman show us where he was factually incorrect, rather than just your hyperbolic hatred please.
3
@Patrick He left out the "however" part.
There's a fire in my house, however, its in my fireplace.
@Patrick You gotta be kidding mate. Show us where Krugman showed any hyperbolic hatred of Trump? This is classic projection as everybody knows who popularised the word "hyperbole"- the master himself. Who got killed at Charlottesville, Patrick? Who did the murdering? Who did the marching with tiki torches terrorising black people sheltering in terror in churches?
Donald Trump is bad for everyone.
2
Small but significant point: voters with incomes below $50,000, voting for higher taxes (on others) are no better or worse morally than voters on incomes of $200,000+, looking to keep their own taxes from increasing. The lower income voter, supports politicians who will take someone else's money, and direct it to him; the higher income taxpayer, supports politicians who will not siphon off more of his money. It is all about the money: the lower income voter wants money re-allocated to him; the higher income voter wants to keep that money for himself. Labels like 'progressive' or 'greedy' are misleading - it's just the same old tug-of-war over cash.
Jews have done well in America by using their brains. Education is a big deal. Not too many Hank Greenbergs. So we exercise those brain muscles, & if we have any kind of moral principles at all, we wind up opposed to Trump & his racist pitch. Most of us are smart enough to see the lies, and see the evil. And our history of persecution teaches us compassion.
2
Trump, as a malignant narcissist, also believes that obscene accumulation of wealth ripped off the backs of everyone else is the only worthwhile pursuit. Despite inheriting a real estate empire, he's actually been at best, a mediocre player in the billionaire game and must be full of envy toward the the many richer individuals with Jews overrepresented. I think his protests that he isn't anti-Jewish partly stem from his universal jealously toward anyone richer than him as well as his anti-semitic beliefs. Trump is that rare man without a single redeeming feature.
2
Far Right Republicans have found racist tropes play well when delivered via “Dog Whistling.” This coded and seemingly indirect language serves as code to deliver racial slurs and stereotyping.
More importantly it divides the ranks of the working class and serves the ends of far right rich billionaires, who ironically are not beneath portraying themselves as down-trodden, victims of a Holocaust.
As we near the 2020 election I can only hope that especially younger Americans will escape the quagmire of racist propaganda and realize that their very future and this planet is at stake.
President Trump did not say the racist chanters in Charlottesville were good people. He said that the peaceful statue preservationists were among the good people on both sides. Also, Obama stabbed Israel in the back with his constant pressure for Israel to stop settling the land of Israel. Trump wants Israel to grow and flourish. Warren and Sanders are not pro-Israel growth. Biden would be an Obama foreign policy re-run. Jews who place a safe and growing Israel as a priority should vote Trump. He’s been the most pro-Israel president in American history.
5
@arikbkln He did indeed! The point is that "peaceful statue preservationists" marching with Nazis are Not. Good. People. You can tell because of the Nazis next to them. Or the neo-Confederate statues they are "preserving," which were erected during the 1920's to celebrate white supremacy during a national resurgence of the KKK...
Paul Krugman: Nobel Prize winner (and mensch)
5
When President Trump addressed the Israeli American Council did he try to pass himself off as a Swede? That was his assumed cover for some reason when showing apartments to clients in Brooklyn back in the 60's.
America Greed touches all religions where people put morality aside and go first with accumulating wealth. 401 K Republicans anyone. We celebrate capitalism here. And after all what is that about, accumulating more and more material things. There is, however, one group of Jewish people Trump is intent in satisfying and that is Netanyahu supporters, no matter what long term havoc it creates in the Mid East.
While I think it’s high time for Netanyahu to move aside, I am not an Israeli. While clearly their citizens are shifting away from him, he has kept Israel safe and taken a strong line on Iran. Thinking that just restraining the settlements and being nice to the Palestinians will lead to peace is delusional wishful thinking. Strength is strategy #1 for security, especially in that neighborhood.
2
I am NOT a Trump supporter, or apologist, but let's remember that much of what he says is jocular, and to be understood as such (esp. by a group he's cozzied-up to). So I [sadly] 'discount' his obnoxious bigotry and try to just discern any policy implications of his words. And look forward to Nov. 2020.
An enlightening article. Sadly trump is not only bad for the Jews, it very obvious he is bad for the human race.
7
I have heard Trump say in a election rally before he got elected in 2016 that even if u are dying or about to die please make sure you vote first. The audience laughed because they knew he was joking. He has made fun of whites, blacks, women, handicapped people, poor people and rich people. At least give him credit for not discriminating. He questioned Ted Cruz if he was born in Canada as he did Obama. So a black person and a white person.
So Trump has been consistent in treating every one the same.
But in politics dont let any opportunity go to waste to call people racists, and anti Semitic etc etc. Its the playbook for democrats and the majority of the media for long.
1
Trump is bad for everyone on some level. The rot itself affects us all. But for minorities, especially those designated as outside of the white nationalist core, the effects can harm badly and even kill. They have already done so. And we have seen how untroubled the perpetrators are by it, including those at the top.
This is history starting to repeat itself, and it sickens me. My Jewish and Indian and Pakistani and Hispanic friends all make life richer and fuller for me and countless others. I'll take any and all of them over Trump and his hateful, small-minded minions any day. Together we can, indeed we must, make America great again by working together to ensure Trump and his followers and their vile ideas are relegated to the dustbin of history.
1
The picture leading the story disturbs me. Am I the only one to see Trump’s name on a kippah as sacrilegious?
I think Krugman is right here. American Jews seem to know this for the most part, but there are some American supporters of right-wing Israelis who love Trump.
Playing with fire in my opinion. Trump is not known for his loyalty. And when it comes down to it, he is in the white nationalist camp.
Jewish Americans, Asian Americans, Indian Americans ... “all high income, high education ...” and relatively new to their wealth and positions of career status, traditionally have been excluded from the white social-professional set ... I’d surmise that it’s their education, that keeps them decidedly more Democratic.
From A Man for All Seasons:
Thomas More: ...And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned around on you--where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country's planted thick with laws from coast to coast--man's laws, not God's--and if you cut them down...d'you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake.
This quote was shamelessly used to defend Trump by Professor Jonathan Turley. Trump—who considers himself above the law, and actually is above the law while in office, per DOJ policy—uses his immunity to cut down both institutions and laws that foster civilized behavior and justice. He assaults law and order while hiding behind it.
Trump is bad for civilized people of all stripes, especially those who depend upon the laws for protection from discrimination.
The rise of antisemitism and nationalism is global and probably worse in European countries with a long history of antisemitism, which means almost all of Europe. Trump and his Republican party cronies allow very rich Jews in their circle, men like Adelson and Kushner, but do not see Jews as true Americans (e.g., Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman). These developments are disturbingly similar to the rise antisemitism in the period from the 1880s to WWII.
1
"Was he peddling an anti-Semitic stereotype, portraying Jews as money-grubbing types who care only about their wealth? Of course he was."
Uh, no. The full speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YlonD037SQ
Anyone who watches the speech in context can plainly see that his remarks were tongue-in-cheek, as evidenced by constant enthusiastic cheering and laughter from the mostly Jewish audience. No one in his right mind would think otherwise. It's unfortunate that, as is so often the case, he was quoted out of context, and some Jewish groups took offense. It was actually one of the most pro-Israel and pro-Jewish speeches I've ever heard.
Mr Krugman, your characterization is out-of-context media distortion, par excellence.
3
To me the suggestion that people would vote for Trump because of the tax breaks had very little to do with the anti-Semitic stereotype because lots of people boasted of voting for Trump because they didn't want their taxes to go up. I think Trump thinks the same way.
I don't doubt that he would have been a Nazi admirer had he been around in the 1930s, but in this particular instance, I think he was just acknowledging the reality of Republican support. It's all about the taxes.
When Trump talks about Jews and money he is actually praising them. He means that they are just like him: money is everything. This of course is projection and in import good for antisemites but it also uncovers Trump's real being, if anyone was unsure of that.
So Paul, trump is bad for ALL ethnic groups especially the American kind.
1
And bad for women, African Americans, Latinos and anyone who isn't a white male evangelist. How did one minority come to rule the rest of us?
A man who will betray his three marriages, is a man who will betray anyone at any time. It is called character. And is best remembered by fools who imagine that malevolent man in the White House is with them, or Israel for that matter.
2
Paul:
Another work of art.
Why won’t you join the race?!
I agree with Krugman's view that Donald Trump is bad for the Jews. Trump is also bad for every American citizen, the United States of America and our friends, allies and the world as well. Trump is hateful, dangerous, morally and ethically bankrupt and ultimately criminal.
I have one disagreement though with Mr. Krugman and that is his use of wealth as a barometer for Jewish sentiment. It was not necessary to point out wealth and wage differences to make the point that being Jewish in America under the Trump administration is a determinant of support for Trump. In fact Jews, regardless of wealth or socio-economic status clearly understand the threat of Trump. The conundrum for Jews is whether or not to speak out or be silent in the face of virulent anti-Semitism and risk ever greater anti-Semitism.
The problem is not only is Trump and his supporters openly anti-Semitic but that anti-Semitism is openly practiced and goes unchallenged by Jews or anyone else. The media has shied from criticism failing to call out Trump at every opportunity. The march in Charlottesville, VA was a missed opportunity to hold Trump accountable.
The Jews of America need to pay attention to the lessons and horror of the Nazi regime of Germany. Silence is a trap and a death sentence for Jews. So is disarmament of our citizenry by anti-gun zealots. The Jews of Germany were disarmed. They were slaughtered by the millions.
Silence, inaction and disarmament lead to disaster and death.
Jews! Awake!
175
@Jack Frost I agree with most of what you said EXCEPT: Trump HAS (famously) been held accountable for his remarks about the march in Charlottesville.
2
@Jack Frost You made some good points, but you lost me on the guns mythology. The Jews in Germany were rounded up legally, and what law-abiding citizen stands their ground with a gun against legally authorized representatives of their government? An example right here at home - when Japanese-Americans were rounded up and forcibly sent to camps, I know of no armed resistance to that. As good citizens, they followed the orders and off they went. Finally, if they had put up an armed resistance, guess what the outcome would've been?
54
@Gene W.
I unfortunately agree. How did the Warsaw ghetto armed uprising end up? Was getting burned alive any better than the gas chamber? The time to stop this rush to madness is now, not later with popguns against tanks.
17
We generally think of "intelligence" as the ability to readily and flexibly adapt to what circumstances and the world around us demands of us. Intelligence theorist Robert Sternberg proposed that one could dissect intelligence into a number of aspects, one of them - the contextual subtheory - included the capacity to shape our human environment. In essence, one can flexibly adapt to what faces us, but one can also shape what faces us so that what we know how to do works well.
That makes perfect sense when one's world is narrowly circumscribed - for instance, the world of sport or, say, real estate. But when one's world is THE WORLD, obliging others to value the few things you know how to do, rather than analyzing and flexibly adapting to THEIR needs, runs out of mileage very quickly.
This man has a limited repertoire of tropes and surrounds himself with those who he feels value them. It is enough to persuade him that EVERYONE likely values them. But of course, they don't. One of those tropes is to convey that those who don't believe the tropes are simply naive or have malevolent motives. It's all he's got in his tool belt.
People have a little under a year to understand this well enough to select a better leader who understands the difference between what benefits himself, and what benefits the nation and the world that nation affects.
Of course Mr. Trump is bad for Jews. He is an arch anti-Semite to begin with. Although I would not assert that Jews are "God's chosen", Judaism and Jewish culture are extraordinary and extraordinarily positive to my mind. Culture, achievement, charity, assistance for the oppressed, scholarship, education and on and on are Jewish hallmarks. Jews money-grubbers? No doubt some are, but I suspect far fewer than the money-grubbers in any population.
1
Trump is bad. period.
1
I am not wealthy enough to be in the circle of Jews who support Trump because it's good for their bottom line, nor am I so blindly loyal to Israel that I don't see the danger in supporting a politician who is so simplistic in his endorsement of the present -day Israeli politics and intransigence regarding the West Bank and the Palestinians. That said, Trump has managed to split apart the Jewish community in ways never before so apparent. How foolish are his Jewish apologists to think that they would be saved from his racism and white supremacy should Trump unleash his non-Jewish supporters for political purposes!
3
The USA is Israel’s best friend. Any president that weakens the US will ultimately hurt Israel even if they wrap their arms around them in term one.
99
@Joanne
Trump really did not wrap his arms around Israel. He wrapped his arms around Netanyahu. There's a difference.
15
@Jasr
Hmmmmm . . . . so you prefer a weak Israel because it will be better for you and your thinking. Right?
@Joanne Oh my - even if one term? Wow! What a comment!!
What are you gonna do when Trump WINS IN A LANDSLIDE?
It's gonna happen Joanne - what then?????
Absolutely correct. We Jews are an ethnic group that is generally pretty much like other ethnic groups. There are good and bad, bright and dull, kind and mean Jews, just as there are in any ethnic group.
Where Jews differ is in our history of being oppressed, murdered and marginalized throughout time. Since most Jews lived in Europe, that is where the oppression, murder and suppression occurred most.
Many other ethnic groups were, similarly mistreated. The histories of Ireland, Britain, Europe, South America, subcontinent India, the Middle East, Africa and Asia (and, even, Australia) are replete with subjugation and murder of minorities -- for no sin other than being of a certain ethnicity.
Trump, clearly, believes that Jews are all motivated by greed. Maybe that's because he is. Maybe because he can't understand that anyone isn't. Or maybe he's just the typical anti-Semite. But he's wrong. Jews are no more motivated by greed than any other ethnic group.
And, frankly, the Jews who support Trump are just like non-Jews who support Trump: they're defined by one or more of these qualities: greed, stupidity, evil and corruption. Fortunately, Trump's support among many minorities is scant, showing that there are good people everywhere (except, maybe, the White House).
1
By Stephen Miller you should know him!
Wealthy Americans vote Republican to preserve their money and power, but they are crippling our country by hollowing out the middle class and underfunding healthcare, education and infrastructure. And no amount of money can insulate you from decrepit roads and airports, and a sick, ignorant populace.
Likewise, American Jews who vote for Trump and the GOP are happy with the support of Netanyahu and the right wing in Israel. But they’re enabling a dangerous unleashing of white nationalism that is viciously anti-Semitic.
So they better be prepared to wear their MAGA hats to synagogue, and hope that protects them from the whirlwind they sow.
5
@Elizabeth A
"Wealthy Americans vote Republican to preserve their money and power,"
What a silly oversimplification and falsehood.
It is as silly and as false as saying that non-productive Americans vote Democrat to take away the money of others. (If you don't think that is both silly and false, then the wealthy should vote Republican to protect themselves from your selfish greed)
2
It's just unbelievable what he gets away with. Barack Obama couldn't split an infinitive without hearing about it, but this guy... there are just no standards of behavior for him. And he gets away with it. America is a sick society to let this continue.
760
@Steven
Yes, America is a sick society. It has been so since its creation. There was always the crime of slavery eating away at the society. Even now many, many Americans hate people of color, of other religions and of course women.
After the end of WW II, Western Germany went through "denazification", but not Eastern Germany. The difference is glaring.
After the end of the Civil War, the U.S. never went through "deslavification" of the population. The result is trump supported by a significant number of Americans, all joined together by hatred.
A disaster is looming, it's already begun with the excessive cruelty at the southern border, including the concentration camps that maltreat children.
44
@Steven
If you listened to GOP leadership and Fox News under Obama, you know why GOP voters aren't reacting today: they have relentlessly told their voters that Obama and the Democrats were utterly corrupt and truly "bad people".
That's how most GOP voters now took over this horrible, and truly antipatriotic form of cynicism, where the politician who' unashamed to behave in utterly corrupt ways becomes more appreciated that the one who claims to not be corrupt at all, because at least the politicians who does so publicly, has still ONE moral value left: honesty about what he's doing.
The GOP is sick, very sick.
It's obvious that massive mistrust by the American people in America's own main institutions is THE best gift to its enemies abroad.
That's because in a democracy, cynicism is the only way to weaken the country to such an extent that incompetent, corrupt leaders take over. And when they do, its enemies cannot but jubilate ...
22
@Steven
Thank you for stating this fact. Every day Trump does the worst and nobody blinks. Yet everyone else is skewered. The median all Americans need to start looking inward to this disturbing acceptance of Trump's misconduct and radical language of hate and division.
24
Krugman's argument is a stretch, actually its quite fanciful, a farce. Obama was bad for the Jews; he opposed Israel; however, his animus to the Jewish state did not reach the level of out-right anti-semitism of the AOC led "squad". Who would have ever imagined the United States of America taking such a position? I support the state of Israel; I support Zionism. For that matter I support Trump! With America, Israel will be first. Thank you.
2
Let's be frank, Trump is bad for anyone who isn't an affluent white American male with no conscience. As for Jews, be they American or Israeli, who think they have a friend in Trump are befriending the personification of evil in hopes of achieving personal ill-gotten gains. Nothing good will come from the goodies Trump has handed to Netanyahu's Israel via manila envelope. Trump has done nothing to make Israel safer, he only provided an accelerant to the fire Netanyahu already started.
3
I appreciate Mr. Krugman's insightful commentary.
4
Judaism is not evangelical, except on its radical fringes. Though Jews may strive to keep their own families in the tradition, there is little drive to convert anybody.
2
Charlottesville's chants, "Jews shall not replace us," should have told American Jews all they needed to know about Trump. From Krugman's opinion piece two things should be clear - Sanders will never be president in this racist, anti-Semitic country when even the Jews in the room with Trump did not get up and walk out to visibly protest the ignorant and hate-filled remarks - even Jews can have anti-Semitic viewpoints. I've known some of the most successful realtors in New York who are Jewish and Trump envied them their success based on their hard work and smarts, both of which he lacks. And two - there is no group that can actually prove that Trump is their loyal friend. Even the Evangelicals, should have noticed by now, are treading on thin ice if they really think Trump can be the next Messiah. Trump's fixation is Trump. The rest of us are simply fodder for his hatred. Michael Cohen must have worn blinders to not see the truth - Trump would dismiss him first opportunity he got and replace him with someone even less worthy, Giuliani. Trump's envious of anyone who didn't inherit $500 million and actually made a real fortune, i.e. Michael Bloomberg. And even with all the money he has, Bloomberg will struggle to convince voters that as a mayor and as a businessman he is more that qualified to be president.
1
Trump is pro Israel to get the end Evangelical vote.
He has no allegiance to any country not even his own. He only thinks of himself and what he can gain.
Thank you Paul Krugman for an insightful article.
1
As a religious Jew who attends synagogue every Sabbath and (tries) to observe all the commandments of the Torah, I will take Trump and his blunders over the Democratic party that coddles the likes of Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, while pledging to strip religious institutions like my shul of their 501(c)(3) non-profit status. If all Judaism means to you is bagels, episodes of Seinfeld, and the Democratic party, sure Trump is a travesty. But if your Jewishness includes believing in God and striving to follow His ways as mandated by the Torah and our Rabbinic heritage, then you must take Donald over the Dems.
3
I'm a native-born American citizen. I'm in my 60's. And I am also Jewish.
And I am appalled that any Jewish person in this entire country would support the likes of Donald Trump.
People, there are several thousand infants and children in internment camps on our soil. Now. For the first time since WWII. These children have committed no crimes. And this "administration" has no plans to ever reunite them with their families.
If we looked at none of the other horrific acts this "president" has taken, this one single act - separating Hispanic families and forcing these children into internment camps, indefinitely - ought to cause all Jews to reject Trump.
These actions should not be acceptable to any decent person. And they most certainly should not be acceptable to the U.S. Jewish community. Not for any tax break. And these children's lives should not be "for sale".
My inlaws are Holocaust survivors. My mother-in-law lost her entire family in Theresienstadt. And if we, American Jews, do not speak out against Trump, we are nothing more than enablers.
American Jews who support Trump should do well to remember the screams of "Jews will not replace us" by the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville - you know, the ones that Trump said were "very fine people".
The suffering of these Hispanic families is our suffering. And we Jews ought to be pushing back against this abomination of a "president".
6
@Ro Laren
"And I am appalled that any Jewish person in this entire country would support the likes of Donald Trump."
I am appalled that not only Jewish people but anybody in their right mind would support traitor trump.
Those politicians who support him are as much of a traitor as trump.
We must vote him out in 2020.
Brave people fix their own first. Nice Professor. The Jewish history in America, I think, is pretty clear (standing with MLK). Blacks know better. The only real question is the Hispanic vote. They are America's largest minority and to the extent they are willing to go along with the white nationalism and call themselves white on census forms in a chase for dollars will determine the future of the Republican party.
2
I'm a native-born American citizen. I'm in my 60's. And I am also Jewish.
And I am appalled that any Jewish person in this entire country would support the likes of Donald Trump.
People, there are several thousand infants and children in internment camps on our soil. Now. For the first time since WWII. These children have committed no crimes. And this "administration" has no plans to ever reunite them with their families.
If we looked at none of the other horrific acts this "president" has taken, this one single act - separating Hispanic families and forcing these children into internment camps, indefinitely - ought to cause all Jews to reject Trump.
These actions should not be acceptable to any decent person. And they most certainly should not be acceptable to the U.S. Jewish community. Not for any tax break. And these children's lives should not be "for sale".
My inlaws are Holocaust survivors. My mother-in-law lost her entire family in Theresienstadt. And if we, American Jews, do not speak out against Trump, we are nothing more than enablers.
American Jews who support Trump should do well to remember the screams of "Jews will not replace us" by the neo-Nazis in Charlottesville - you know, the ones that Trump said were "very fine people".
The suffering of these Hispanic families is our suffering. And we Jews ought to be pushing back against this abomination of a "president".
3
Mr. Krugman, aside from eating lox and bagels, and touting a few statistics about American Jewish voting habits, I ask, are you good for the Jews? It's a rhetorical question - no need to reply, I know the answer. But tell me, Paul, why no mention in your opinion here about how President Trump relocated the US embassy to Jerusalem, while decades of previous presidents promised to do so, but didn't? Was this bad for the Jews? Is that a sign of Antisemitism? Why no mention of how President Obama stabbed Israel in the back in his last few days as POTUS with the UN abstention vote - a UN vote against Israel unlike any other POTUS? Was that good for the Jews? Why no mention that he was (is) Antisemitic? And why do you tacitly promote the anti-Netanyahu policies? Let's be honest, PM Netanyahu has arguably done more for the State of Israel than probably any other prime minister. And don't tell me his policies hurt the forever moribund "peace process." No, indeed Netanyahu's policies and Trump's policies are good for Jews and good for Americans. You just don't like them. So, let me ask again: How are you good for the Jews? And while I'm sure most of your followers and NYT readers will disagree with me on this, I also ask: How are you good for Americans? Like I said, it's a rhetorical question.
4
@David Shapiro
BRAVO!
There was a time when the heroes of film were heroes because their goodness led them to do good with no regard for themselves. They were not all carbon copies of each other. John Wayne in the saddle, Jimmy Stewart fumbling, Humphrey Bogart trying unsuccessfully to avoid the inevitable truth of what he must do... what any, every good man - and woman- must do. No theist of any stripe, no atheist, no person no matter how pale or deep their complexion has a choice to ignore what is good in order to find some other sort of comfort at the expense of our fellow persons. No choice if we aspire to be whatvwe aspire to be... admirable.
Will anyone reading these words stop and consider, stop and decide to demand of themselves to be a hero. All it ever took is up there on the screen to been seen. Each of us has the capacity to move beyond the hates or fears or material desires we hold. We can decide to be the equal of John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart... Rick Blaine... we can be our Best Self. And make a difference no matter how small the moment might be. Big screen, small room, on the street, at home, voting, talking, at a party, alone... every moment offers us the chance to be a hero. Choose to be a hero. Every day. Drop the labels that decide us. Be a hero.
1
”Back to the question of what makes U.S. Jews
politically different. Much of the answer is historical
memory. Most of us, I think, know that whenever
bigotry runs free, we’re likely to be among its victims.”
Please, explain Dr. Krugman, how Bill 447 relates
to your premise.
Trump is bad for everyone but his hard core white nationalist supporters. This will not end well for any of us including them.
So truly insightful. Jewish values have never been about getting rich but sharing what one has with those less fortunate. We are in great danger in this country of the hard right wing religious folks and an immoral man aiding and abetting them.
1
“Bad for the Jews” News? I’d go further and say “Bad for Nearly Everyone”. Although anti-Semitism is an easy sell in our enlightened country, and Jews live with a background understanding of this, what trump has done is far more than encouraging hate as a campaign tactic. What he’s managed to do is set up an entirely new version, connecting Israel, money, dictators, academics and alternative reality. In the new version, the public is encouraged to conflate Israel, the country, with our permanent fears and hatreds. This, to use the correct word, alienates thinking young people who feel increasingly comfortable with giving up on that country as itself, a threat to American Jews. Getting free of the GOP coup, when it happens, also involves disconnecting from all the damage, repairing our society, and very likely, eliminating all the entanglements in the MidEast. Except, of course, those where oil is involved.
Trump is poison; for American democracy, Jews, and Israel. We’ve had a heavy dose. Can we recover?
Donald Trump is bad for Children and other living things.
Recycled from the 1970s.
There's a tale of 3 billionaires:
Sheldon Adelson,
Tom Steyer
and
Michael Bloomberg.
All are Jews, and one is as far Right as you can go, one is pretty far left, and the last bounces between the vanishing liberal Republican and vanishing Conservative Democrat.
Yet I do not know how any Jew can support Trump, who, despite his son-in-law and daughter (and his suspect relation with her), is blatantly willing to accept classic stereotypes about Jews and Blacks. Remember his statement that he HATED Black guys handling his money, preferring little guys in yarmulkes?
Trump fundamentally believes that races and ethnic groups are blessed and cursed with inherent talents and weaknesses, rather than the much more obvious conclusion that people are people. Remember: Jockeys and offensive linemen have more in common with each other regardless of ethnicity than they do with other members of their ethnic group who practice the other athletic endeavor.
1
Wow, throw the challenge down. Hopefully.when this ends the GOP won't have but a dribble of minority voters left. Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Ben Carson and the two tarts in the apartment in NY may be all that remains.
I'm struck that Mr. Krugman left out President Trump's reported statement that we Jews are "brutal killers." I wonder why he omitted this. Blood libels against Jews have led to our exile and extermination. Whether we are not greedy is a minor point by comparison.
The nonsense starts at the top of the page. Trump references Jews' interests in keeping taxes low. Krugman says it's offensive stereotyping. Beyond absurd. Who is more interested in not paying taxes than Trump? Nobody. And so, when he says to others that they are against taxes, he's saying we're the same on this issue. He is not stereotyping them. He is embracing them.
If a Mafia Don tells you you're a gangster, that's hardly an insult. Trump is a different kind of Don(ald). But when he says "you're like me", only the oblivious think that that's an insult.
3
Actually, Trump said a few months ago that "we" support Israel, and not particular Israeli politicians (referring to Bibi N.). But the point is well taken. And Trump's slobbering over Israel (moving the embassy to Jerusalem, etc.) also tends to exacerbate anti-Semitism. Trump is very much like his father's generation, believing in anti-Semitic stereotypes without even realizing that he's being anti-Semitic.
I'm sorry to hear about your hate mail. I disagree with you fairly frequently, but I enjoy your column and I don't at all dislike (much less hate) you.
2
AS usual, a good column. Yet, as a white Christian, I would add another reason Trump is not good for the Jews: He has caved to the right wing Israeli demands that demolish the Jewish values that helped make America a better, more equal country. What happened to the Jews whose voices rang so clear in our civil rights movement, in our anti-war movement? Why do they now support apartheid and Jim Crow for Palestinians? Those who avert their eyes and plug their ears to Trump’s anti-semitism because he feeds their sense of exceptionalism are swallowing poison. It is not good for the Jews. Or for the Jews fellow American citizens.
Perhaps. But not as bad as any idea espoused by the most dubious Nobel laureate ever. And I don’t mean President Obama!!
As in every other arena, Trump is protected from his own anti-Semitism by the willful blindness of his allies and his family members, and by the prejudices he shares with people like Stephen Miller — a Jewish white nationalist (yes, a contradiction in terms, but a reality) — and Benjamin Netanyahu — the leader of the Jewish State who has repeatedly been elected in part by appealing to anti-Arab racism. Here the old saw that the enemy of my enemy is my friend has some truly perverse results—among them the popularity of an anti-semite like Trump in Israel and on the American right, regardless of that right’s religious affiliation.
All we have to do is pay attention to world history. The United States is no different than anywhere else as our past history has proven. We use religion, we use race, we use nationality, we use sexual preference to isolate. Equality, love and inclusion are a part of any religion, but just as easily as religion brings people together, it can be used to successfully divide. We are seeing how trump has recruited the evangelicals to sacrifice their beliefs for power. They too will suffer at the hands of a tyrant once he gains power. I find it difficult to understand how any minority, Jews, blacks, Hispanics, gays, Muslims, atheists, Asians could support what is going on before their eyes right now with trump and his republican party. Good things can turn bad quickly when truth and honesty are replaced with lies and deceit.
then why all the applause and laughter in this unembarrassed audience? Why didn't they get up and walk out? I am disgusted by Trump, so saddened beyond disgust by his endorsement by his hosts
2
Trump is bad for the Jews ... and bad for the women, bad for the immigrants, bad for the disabled, bad for the students, bad for the 99%, bad for the brown-skinned, bad for the middle class, bad for those in public housing, bad for everyone but wealthy white males no matter how much the Republican "leadership" likes to pretend he's good for Joe the Plumber.
Actually, what the revolving door of those in his administration (and those now in jail) reflects is that Trump is ultimately only good for Trump and -- at times -- some of his wives and offspring.
2
Conservatives and Republicans tend to berate Blacks and Latinos for supporting Democrats. They insult these groups' intelligence, telling them they're being duped and brainwashed. "Leave the Democratic plantation," they often exclaim.
And they also love to tell East and South Asians and Jews that the Republican party is their natural home. The party of free enterprise, of hard work and achievement. It's where you studious and laborious people belong.
And yet none of these groups are particularly fond of the Republican party.
Hm. Wonder why?
Expecting a conservative or a Republican to exhibit the most minute introspection would be folly. They simply will not see the obvious: It's the racism. No one is going to join a party that openly disdains them.
My thought is that many American Jews have been waiting for this kind of Trump thinking to come out into the open. It reveals antisemitism as once demonstrated by Adolph Hitler, and used then to gain perverse political leverage, to further entrench him in his position of power. We have already seen him take on Blacks, Hispanics, the economically disadvantaged, and other vulnerable groups, so this was likely only a matter of time. What I find most disturbing is the number of remaining Trump supporters willing to look the other way, often because their concerns are focused on their finances.
Asie from the anti-Semitism, I noticed an example of cynical Republican propaganda. President Trash said that the Democrats would "raise taxes". No mention of the fact that Trash slashed tax rates, and the Democrats would simply be undoing the cut.
Well said, as usual. Of course Trump and his fellow travelers are fascist racists, with an added dash of white supremacy and anti-Semitism. Jews, Indians, Hispanics supporting Trump and thinking that by doing so they will somehow be exempt from harm, should reflect upon the sad tale of Jews in Weimar Germany who thought that they would be spared (though in that case Jews and seniors and other target groups tried to just sit quietly and avoid the limelight - but the consequences of avoidance and active participation were the same).
1
Trump and Netanyahu together are a double-whammy for the Jewish diaspora. They seem cut from the same cloth--right-wing, corrupt, autocratic, xenophobic--and repeatedlly endorse one another's worst behaviors. Whenever Netanyahu does something particularly heinous and accuses his critics of "anti-Semitism," people who know little about Judaism and Jews take his word that his behavior is "typically Jewsih." When Trump endorses, for example, Netanyahu's land-grab on the West Bank and then, as at this meeting, repeats the worst anti-Semitic stereotypes, people with little knowledge take his word for it that all Jews are evil, greedy oppressors.
With the two working in tandem, it's little surprise that anti-Semitism is on the rise, for who would not condemn the behavior they tell non-Jews is "typically Jewish"?
2
C'mon Paul. I know of a Jewish lady he personally helped to get a patent in China to sell her brand of jewelry and clothing.
1
The Republican Jewish Coalition comprises wealthy American Jews who support Israel and want to pay little or no taxes.
1
Trump is good for Putin. And that's why he's POTUS. End of story.
1
Trump is bad for everybody.
I find the title (which I hope Krugman did not pick) offensive.
"Donald Trump is Bad for the Jews - there are things more important than your tax rate"
which draws on tropes of Jewish people being 1) focused on themselves rather than the country at large and 2) money-grubbing.
second Jewish people vote more strongly against Trump than any other demographic so the picture of a Trump skullcap is misleading and incendiary.
3
Trump's appeal to Jews will go over about as well as his claim that African Americans were so bad off they had nothing to lose by voting for him.
Trump is also bad for women of all races, religions and income levels. Ladies, let’s show the GOP-grabbers the door.
2
So lets get videos of this speech on the national news shows, and play it over and over again, just like Charlottesville.
Did any members of the audience gat up and walk out? I’d like to think so.
1
Probably bad for Jews, overall, but great for Israel: Stomping on Iran, moving the embassy to Jerusalem, annexing the Golan Heights, green lighting settlements on the West Bank.
77
@Samm None of those "great" things are going to be good for Israel in the long-run.
87
@Samm
That will all come back to haunt.
50
@Samm The Golan Heights were annexed in 1967, so what are you talking about?
Additionally, settlements in the West Bank are BAD for Israel, and Iran has not been "stomped".
31
The anti-Semitism of Trump is always the undercurrent of his comments about real estate, financial dealings and Israel. He himself is oblivious to his bigotry. That he is given a pass by so many is mind-boggling.
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@Art Seaman - please don't give trump a pass by claiming he doesn't know he is anti-semitic. he is anti everthing and everyone who doesn't agree with his warped view of the world.
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@Art Seaman He gets a pass because he is seen as the last Great White Hope.
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@Art Seaman
Honest question: How is Trump anti-semitic? Please, don't use speeches that were mis-quoted, taken out of context, etc. Real actions and deeds please.
The mantra about “the stock market is doing well” sounds frightening like “the trains are running on time.” It’s fascism.
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Prof. Krugman has nailed it.
This proud American Jew will vote for a Republican the election day next following the day I see a pig (or an elephant) fly.
And I am confident all of my relative will behave the same way I do.
Don't waste your breath asking, Donnie.
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The Abrahamic religions dominate the planet & they all stem from Judaism, which is the oldest vein as one gets closer to the source, right? The real question we should be asking ourselves is: Are we all Jews in some way? Maybe. We may not all be true Semites, but few people are; even some people calling themselves Semites do not fit the definition according to some Jewish scholars. How to move forward?
It’s hard sometimes to let go but one simply must ignore some pages in some books, written by sages who were probably right at the time but not necessarily today. We all got em: The “Infidel” , the “Heathen” and the “Goy” , etc. — Fun huh? Not really, because way too many people died horribly because of it.
Being progressive does not mean one dumps religion into the dumpster and moves forward as a nobel atheist, but it does mean one has to ignore certain orthodox declarations of the past, otherwise wars keep continuing. I don’t need to tell you that; most of you have done it already, but these burning torch carrying people with their age-old slogans of blood and soil, keep popping up, but why? Didn’t they get the memo?
You can’t say it’s the fault of all Republicans because that’s too shallow; there’s certainly a glob of messed-up Democrats too, walking the planet. Trump’s way is not the way — it’s too primeval. The socialist left is not the way either because they also demand blind stoic obedience when one peels back the onion.
We’re not there yet — The Promised Land.
I support Israel- knowing that no country is perfect ( certainly the US, which I also support, has a few issues itself!). But I do not support trump in any way whatsoever- any more than I’d support Stalin, Hitler or Mussolini-Putin or Kim, for starters.
The reminders of the ghastly historical period of the Nazi’s are all over trumps playbook. Aside from the fact that he’s moronic, he is dangerous. His rhetoric is dangerous.
We should all disavow his talk and hope for his timely removal from office before it’s truly too late, once again.
Thank you Professor Krugman, an excellent article that rings so true . As usual 'his rallies aside' Trump has no understanding of who his audience is, he fails to grasp that Jews do no typically vote with our pocketbooks.
I have actually been hoping to see something like this piece from the Times, having read about Trumps disgraceful speech in Miami in yesterdays Jewish Telegraph and had hoped for some commentary from someone in the NYT.
Trump singling us out as a group not likely to support Senator Warren because of her plan to tax those earning over $50 million , in my view is an appalling trope . Trumps voicing support for the Israeli government does not and should not give him a pass on what is clearly a remark that is Anti Semitic.
Jewish organizations in the US both Republican and Democrat leaning should call Trump out on this as Professor Klugman correctly states it is not the first time we have heard Anti Semetic tropes from Trump such as calling us 'Disloyal', for supporting Democrats.
Furthermore I hope that in their condemnation of Trump that nothing is held back, in a similar vein to when the Left are held accountable for their Anti Semitism.
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This president is bad for anyone, whatever tax bracket you happen to be in.
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Anybody who ran a campaign for president who had as a campaign manager a person who was editor of a website that he claimed was the voice of the alt right is dangerous for Jews. Perhaps there are Jews who support Trump who figure if things get really bad for Jews in the US that they will flee to some island or wherever but if such people exist that must be a small group. Trump is probably most concerned about Jewish voters in the Philadelphia area which has a large Jewish population as their vote could go a long way to determining whether or not he wins Pennsylvania again. If Pennsylvania is close again every Jewish vote in that state matters a lot and Trump probably has a strategy to try to get as many of these votes as he can.
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When you throw mud at Trump, it all sticks, hardens, and becomes part of his daily wear. He really is the worst of us: If a bad trait exists, it's in his repertoire, on stage or behind the scenes. And his obliviousness regarding his shortcomings is deeply embarrassing; but he hasn't a clue.
One of his worst behaviors is his patented divisiveness: It's you and me, Redcap, against all of those crazy liars who disagree with us.
True to type, he's using that strategy as he talks to the Israeli American Council. Dr. K is pointing that out, and warning others not to fall for his vicious sales pitch.
Thanks, Dr. K, for being constantly vigilant and getting the word out. You seem to live by the adage: All that's necessary for evil to conquer is for good men to do nothing. You have made yourself a visible target for the Right's hatred. (I'm thinking of the Anti-Paul Krugman Cruise.)
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There is one characteristic that even Trump-haters must acknowledge....Trump is loyal to his family. Trump has a Jewish daughter married to his Jewish son-in-law, and Jewish grandchildren. Yet Krugman makes the absurd criticism that Trump is anti-semitic.
Sometimes you just have to laugh at how ridiculous are the claims that Krugman sometimes makes.
"Indian-Americans, in particular, are like American Jews: a high-income, high-education group that votes Democratic by large margins"
The key words here are "high-education group". It's not a coincidence that the redder a State is the lower the quality of public education is in that State.
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Sure: Keep trying to convince us that Trump is out to harm his daughter and his son-in-law. Now pull the other leg . . .
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I wish American Jews’ general anti-Trumpishness translated internationally. I married into the Australian Jewish community, and since 2016 I have found myself at pains to explain to various acquaintances why Trump is in no way good for America - a subject about which Aussie Jews are understandably indifferent - and not particularly good for Israel either - subject about which Aussie members of the tribe have strong opinions to say the least. What has been especially disheartening is having to repeatedly shoot down the insane, conspiratorial, pro-Trump, anti-Obama memes circulated by own mother-in-law and her bridge partners from the Women’s International Zionist Organization.
The only bright spot is that the better informed people are, both about the US and about Israel, the more they seem to get how dangerous Trump is. Nevertheless, it has been soberingly educational to observe how otherwise intelligent people - they’re my friends, dang it! - burdened by limited information and the wrong set of biases, can form disastrously bad judgements about politics.
Orthodox Jews are overwhelmingly pro-Trump. The editorials in the community newspapers could have been written by Sean Hannity. I think you would find it educational to interview a few of them and try to find out why. This is, by the way, even though many of them know what kind of man Trump is.
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Having a full one third of our world population murdered in the Holocaust, we Jews are remarkably sensitive to the warning signs of hate. With Trump, the signs are flashing bright red -- as a country we should be very worried. He constantly stereotypes us and other ethnic groups which, in turn, empowers the ignorant haters. It's not a coincidence that hate crimes are on the rise, with synagogue shootings among them. As a side note, the world Jewish population has only recovered to its pre-WW2 in the last few years. As we say, "Never Forget." Sadly, those of us tolerating Trump's red flags are doing just that.
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@gmansc
False facts!!
FBI statistics show incidence of hate crimes have been in a slight declin since 2016.
Thank you ! For you voice of reason .
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What's worse is that Trump's legitimization of anti-Semitism attracts those who ratchet up the attacks. Thus, Ann Coulter, in commenting on Trump's speech and, in particular, the part that singled out the "rich Jew" canard, Tweeted: "Could we start slowly by getting them to like America?"
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"But they don’t. In fact, only 17 percent of them voted Republican last year."
considering most american jews reside in the NYC metro area - a bastion of liberalism - this is hardly surprising.
Lexicological note:
Why not consider retiring 'anti-Semitism', unless that term is used to refer to all Semites -- Arabs, Jews, many Ethiopians, etc.?
Jews are not the only Semites. Bigotry directed against them might more precisely be termed 'anti-Judaism' or perhaps 'anti-Hebraism'.
We should be more scrupulous in our reference to groups, however distinguished (by religion, cultural tradition, etc.).
One can be prejudiced against Jews and pro-Arab. Calling such a stance 'anti-Semitic' seems slightly ridiculous.
When Trump says "Jews are greedy, and,,,their political behavior is especially driven by their financial interests," he probably means that as a compliment. His behavior, political and otherwise, is completely driven by his financial interests.
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Many gangsters seem to relish the chance to insult their audiences in real time. It is not just a case of being amoral, it takes the leap into sadism.
Trump babbles about nonsense and his own alleged material wealth as rally goers stand there and do their best to care, he politicizes the military while speaking to soldiers and he makes anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant statements to Jewish groups.
For some people, passing up a chance to express their imagined superiority and disdain for others is an error akin to leaving money on the table. There is no bottom.
A devout Catholic, worldly WWII veteran, very wise high school teacher, told us how to spot a raving anti-Semite:
"If he keeps repeating, 'Some of my best friends are Jewish' then you can be sure that he's an anti-Semite."
Ever notice how Trump often says this in one form or another, at least once weekly? Of course, as required, he gets to embellish it even more. "Hey, look, even my daughter and grandchildren are Jewish." "Hey, just look at my cabinet and advisors. You don't get more Jewish than Mnuchin and Miller."
Trump is most definitely bad for the Jews.
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Bravo, this is one of the few columns I’ve read that honestly discusses the white nationalist racist Essence of the GOP. One of the reasons they get away with it - is because they are allowed to indulge their racism and deny it at the same time.
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Trump is bad for everyone. Case closed.
The examples of anti semitism Kurgman starts with are rather flimsy. It troubles me that you cannot criticize a Jewish person or Israel in today's America without stepping into minefields you're not even cognizant of. The outrage Omar faced is one such example.
Growing up a Hindu I knew very little about the White sensitivities around this subject. A close friend of mine in high school was stingy as can be, so I would tease him about it. Well one day his parents heard it and I learned an angry lesson I didn't ask for.
His name was Weinberger and I was apparently an anti Semite.
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Donald Trump is bad for Jews for a lot of reasons. But one cannot talk about Trump's eager use of anti-semitic groups to get elected without mentioning that a whole lot of wealthy Jews just as eagerly helped him get there (Sheldon and Miriam Adelson) and after Charlottesville, stayed in power with Trump (Mnuchin, Cohn, and a slew of others).
Donald Trump is bad for Jews because he and the GOP have divided Jews amongst themselves, by class and religiosity, in exchange for the enthusiastic support of policies that are inherently intolerant and bad for Jews.
One immediate way one can see the divisions is a return to the kind of talk we went through as a tribe following the execution of the Rosenbergs. We're back to talking about bad socialist Jews. Now, it's Bernie Sanders Jewish publications are going after for his mid-East policy and his support of Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and others.
Imperialism is good, if you are a Republican Jew. Only Jared Kushner can bring about peace in the Middle East and, if he fails, it can't be done. Imagine that! Thanks, Trump!
I'm glad to see this addressed here. This is a conversation we need to have, out in the open.
The oligarchy doesn't have the middle and working classes' best interests at heart - only its own. In order to get here, they've used every dirty trick in the book, including dividing Jews and turning them against each other. It isn't just Trump. It's all the oligarchs.
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Keep up with current events Rima. Jared Kushner abandoned the Middle East a long time ago. Now he's supposed to be negotiating a trade deal between America, Canada and Mexico.
Hatred of any group, any nationality, any religion, should scare us all. It will never take us forward, or make us better people.
Are there no limits to the hatred of the President? Does Mr. Trump hate his daughter, grand children and son in law? He is the champion of the State of Israel, as apposed to Mr. Obama who went to the Arab capitals to apologize for America support for freedom and democracy. It is well known that Jews support liberal causes as a legacy of a historically oppressed people, without a permanent, secure country. It is highly insulting to be labeled as shortsighted, ignorant or arrogant because I support the President. These personal attacks reveals the writer's depravity and character flaws rather than those he disagrees with.