The hypocrisy behind the GOP’s war on antisemitism
Republicans’ partisan weaponization of antisemitism has not diminished their toleration of anti-Jewish dog whistlers in their own ranks.
In November 2022, Trump, who once
declared himself “the least antisemitic person you’ve ever seen in your entire life,”
had dinner in Mar-a-Lago with Nazi-sympathizing rapper
Kanye West (known as Ye) and Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist and Holocaust denier who has praised Hitler, called for a “holy war against Jews” and advocated putting “a crucifix in every home, in every room in every school, and every government office to signal Christ’s rule over our country.”
Although a few Republican officeholders denounced the former president,
most remained silent or hemmed and hawed. “We all make mistakes,”
said Sen.
Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). “Whoever let him in the room should be fired,” Sen.
Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) suggested. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) hoped Trump would condemn Fuentes, “Because I know he is not an anti-Semite.” Trump “certainly needs better judgment in who he dines with,”
opined Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), “but I’m focused on investigating the current administration … about waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.”