A Message to American Jews: Worry About Donald Trump

On March 18, 2025, The Bulwark reported on a trend among Trump/MAGA-supporting podcasters to “dabble” in antisemitism. It seems these influencers are eager to promote antisemitism to explain the world’s problems, justify the right-wing tilt of many countries across the globe and blame the Jews for everything they claim not to like about America.

The podcasters represent the “tip of the spear” for the Trump/MAGA ecosystem. They promote Trump/MAGA ideas, lend credence to his outrageous comments, behavior and policies and are an excellent example of an effective “echo chamber” designed to influence the hearts and minds of Americans.

The wildly-listened-to Joe Rogan, one of the most popular podcasters in America and an endorser of Donald Trump, several weeks ago, hosted conspiracy theorist Ian Carroll who has previously claimed “the Jews did 9/11.” Influencer Candace Owens told comedian/podcaster Theo Von that “Israel controls the United States through blackmail schemes.”

Owens, you may remember, has a number of antisemitic “greatest hits” including her claim that Judaism was a “pedophile-centric religion that believes in demons…[and] child sacrifice …” She followed that detritus with her justification that she is “waking people up to the fact that pedophiles are in power.”

Before I am accused of “hating” on Trump and the MAGA movement by supporters of Israel eager to crow about his support, let me say, I would not argue with Israelis and/or Americans believing Trump is good for Israel. Not too long ago, I published an article in The Blogs that noted many positive things Trump has done for Israel.

However, Trump has always been a transactional politician who seems to not have any core beliefs…other than he will support whatever is in HIS interests. He will claim to be for freedom and democracy yet cozy up to Kim Jong Un of North Korea, Viktor Orban of Hungary and Russia’s Putin. This, while he shuts off military support for Ukraine and refuses to acknowledge that Russia actually was the invading country, not Ukraine.

Hypocritical? Yes. Transactional? Absolutely. This billionaire who claims to be for “the little guy” pushes tax breaks for the wealthy, seeks to cut services for veterans and has no problem pushing tax plans that will harm the most vulnerable Americans with cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. For those with the means to survive (i.e., the wealthy), Trump represents a challenge to succor his transactional nature. As Foreign Policy wrote in January 2025, “The ones (i.e, countries and companies) with the means to do so will look to exploit the president-elect’s tendency to prioritize his self-interest.”

Trump is not new to antisemitism and vomiting his own antisemitic garbage.

– Let’s not forget his dinner with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes who has called for a “holy war” against Jews and compared the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis to “cookies being baked in an oven.”

– We can’t forget that, according to his former chief of staff, 4-star general John Kelly, Trump said “Well, Hitler did a lot of good things.”

– Let’s not forget that Trump noted if he lost the last election, “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with a loss.” We can’t forget Trump chose not to criticize the Proud Boys in a 2020 presidential debate; rather, he told them to “stand back and stand by.” And we remember, the Proud Boys were well-represented at the Capitol riot on January 6th many wearing T-shirts with the admonishment “6 Million Wasn’t Enough.”

– We can’t forget, more than once, Trump has said immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and has called his opponents “vermin”? Want to find similar language? Just look in Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

Which brings us back to the fact that Trump-aligned podcasters and influencers are spewing antisemitic ideas. These may be the “canaries in the coal mine” for American Jews.

Today:

– American Jews can see their president continuing to demonize immigrants, lash out at Mexicans, verbally abuse women, excoriate Muslims, mock blacks, criticize Jews, and demonize LGBTQ individuals.

– American Jews can see the Trump Administration deporting migrants while refusing to reveal their identities or the evidence against them.

– American Jews can sadly note that Trump’s Department of Defense recently started to purge documents including those that talk about the Holocaust and survivors’ experiences. That same Defense Department even cancelled its Holocaust Remembrance Day. One has to ask, Why is it necessary or important to CANCEL Holocaust Remembrance Day?

American Jews should worry about Donald Trump. As Spanish philosopher George Santayana once wrote: “Those who ignore the warnings of history are doomed to repeat it.” Or, as a character in the American horror movie “The Fly” once suggested, “Be afraid. Be very afraid.”

One of the most important things Jewish history tells us is that Jews have been singled-out, persecuted and killed for a variety of heinous “reasons.”

When the language coming out of the White House and the Trump/MAGA ecosystem is eerily similar to what we have heard before, we must take notice.

It needs only a few words and a large megaphone to start the pogroms.

American Jews, pay attention to what’s happening.