During his tirades against House Democrats, former President Donald Trump has often attacked the four progressive congresswomen who comprise "The Squad." And he did exactly that during a Monday appearance on Ari Hoffman's radio show. Trump slammed The Squad as anti-Semitic and anti-Israel — even while using the antisemitic trope that Israel "controls Congress."
The Squad consists of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York City, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. Trump, during the interview, accused them of hating Israel —seemingly oblivious to the antisemitic things he was saying.
"The biggest change I've seen in Congress is Israel literally owned Congress, you understand that — ten years ago, 15 years ago," Trump told Hoffman. "And it was so powerful, so powerful. And today, it's almost the opposite. You have, between AOC and Omar and these people that hate Israel — they hate it with a passion. They're controlling Congress. And Israel is not a force in Congress anymore."
Trump continued, "I mean, it's just amazing. I've never seen such a change…. Israel had such power, and rightfully, over Congress. Now, it doesn't. It's incredible."
Trump lifts the mask again: “Israel literally owned Congress… Israel has such power - and rightfully - over Congress, and now it doesn’t.” https://t.co/uqzUkT89hh
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) November 1, 2021
Reporting on that interview in The Independent, journalist John Bowden noted that Trump's "remarks were startling for a number of reasons — most obviously, they far exceeded the suggestion made by Ms. Omar in 2019 that the Israel lobby was involved in 'political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country.'"
"In his remarks," Bowden explained, "Mr. Trump flat-out suggested that Israel 'owned' and 'controlled' U.S. politicians. Such claims echo antisemitic conspiracy theories claiming that Jewish people have undue influence over global financial systems and politics. Beyond that, the claim that Israel has no sway in Congress clashes deeply with the recent fight in Congress over $1bn in additional funding for the country's Iron Dome defense system — on top of the millions the U.S. has provided annually for the system."
Writer Yair Rosenberg, the day of that interview, noted Trump's bizarre contradictions and tweeted an article he wrote for the Washington Post in 2019:
"As a man who has always stood solely for his own naked self-interest, Trump does not see the anti-Semitic conception of the self-interested Jew as a complaint, but rather a compliment." https://t.co/mC8ihUOIgV https://t.co/QI7ZS3BCOq
— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) November 1, 2021
Donald Trump continues to push antisemitic conspiracy theories, claiming that Israel "literally owned" Congress and making the vile accusation that Jewish Americans and Democrats hate Israel.
— Jewish Dems (@USJewishDems) November 1, 2021
Every time Trump peddles in such blatant antisemitism, he puts our community in danger. https://t.co/jQXfuK9UlL
https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1455180214565232642?s=20
Sadly, this kind of dog whistling is too common with TFG. https://t.co/nu6RaDkDOf
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) November 1, 2021
