President Donald Trump on Wednesday tweeted a fawning quote from a conservative, non-Jewish radio host who described Trump as the “King of Israel,” and said, without evidence, that Israeli Jews “love him like he is the second coming of God.”
Trump's tweets cited Wayne Allyn Root, who described himself in a 2016 Townhall column as a "Jew turned evangelical Christian" and has promoted several conspiracy theories in the past, including that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and that Obama is gay.
"[T]he Jewish people in Israel love him like he's the King of Israel," Trump quoted Root as saying. "They love him like he is the second coming of God...But American Jews don't know him or like him. They don't even know what they're doing or saying anymore."
Trump's tweets made "King of Israel" the leading trending topic of the day on Twitter, generating many baffled and outraged responses. Later on Wednesday, Trump said, "I am the chosen one" to fix U.S. trade imbalance with China as he looked to the sky.
He told reporters that his trade war with China was one that should have taken place a long time ago: "Somebody had to do it, so I'm taking on China. I'm taking on China on trade, and you know what? We're winning."
In the Bible, Jewish leaders call Jesus the "king of Israel" in a mocking way when he was put on the cross, according to Matthew 27:42: "He's the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him."
Root also says that Jews "love him like he is the second coming of God." Jewish scriptures include mentions of a concept of a messiah who will improve the world, but it's left unspecific and is not central to Judaism. Christianity includes the core idea of messiah, or savior - Jesus.
The Pew Research Center found in 2018 that 69% of Israelis had confidence in Trump to do the right thing regarding world affairs. Pew's poll did not break out by religion, but an earlier Pew study from 2014 and 2015 found 81% of Israel's population was Jewish.
According to Gallup polling, 26% of American Jews approved of Trump in 2018.
Root made his comments on Newsmax TV, which were picked up by Trump Wednesday morning. Trump endorsed Root's 2015 book about how Trump was changing America, and Root has spoken at Trump rallies.
In the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting conducted by a lone white man, Root falsely blamed "Muslim terror." He also pushed the idea that the death of Democratic staffer Seth Rich was ordered by Democratic leaders. In addition, he repeated right-wing theories that Jewish billionaire George Soros paid Charlottesville, Virginia, protesters.
While Root isn't the first to make biblical comparisons of Trump, the "King of Israel" link to Jesus would be considered out of most mainstream conservative Christian views.
Trump is not the first president to apparently link himself to Jesus. President Andrew Johnson, who took Abraham Lincoln's place after Lincoln was assassinated, handled Reconstruction after the Civil War. According to biographer Hans Trefousse, Johnson had delivered a speech at each stop on a tour across America: "Generally recounting his rise from the tailor's bench to the presidency, he compared himself to Jesus Christ and explained that like the Savior, he, too, liked to pardon repentant sinners," Trefousse wrote in the biography.
After Trump moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared Trump to King Cyrus of Persia, who allowed Jews to return to Israel, ending their historic exile in Babylon.
Trump's tweets come in the middle of the latest debate over American support for Israel and its government's policies. U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., were barred from entering Israel earlier this month following support of a boycott against the nation - and advocacy for their travel ban from Trump.
On Tuesday, Trump suggested American Jews who vote for Democrats show "either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty," leading critics to suggest Trump was repeating old anti-Semitic tropes that Jews have "dual loyalty."
Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the center, condemned Trump's remarks on Wednesday, saying that bipartisan support is "absolutely essential to the future well being and security of the Jewish State."
"To say otherwise, and depend only on one party, particularly in these turbulent times of increased hate and anti-Semitism, only weakens and divides the most important Jewish community in the Diaspora," they said in a statement.
Trump's tweets on Wednesday quoting Root were met with a mix of outrage, confusion, biblical interpretation and humor from across the religious landscape.
Poster Comment:
#1: paraclete To: Willie Green (#0)
paraclete posted on 2019-08-21 21:10:43 Reply Private Reply
#2: BorisY To: Willie Green (#0)
They haTe all Things God
America - Israel - Jews - ChrisTian
The pc fied crazies
ThaT's all They are - like
SpiriTual dna
Shows all The blood - haTe
They have on Their hands
Love
boris
BorisY posted on 2019-08-21 21:22:57 Reply Private Reply
#3: Hondo68 To: Willie Green, Israel First, Donnell of NYC (#0)
Award winning Sunni Wahhabi, King of Saudi-Israel.
Hondo68 posted on 2019-08-21 23:25:10 Reply Private Reply
#4: Gatlin To: All (#0)
I watched here once again with no great amazement where Trump intentionally provoked his haters and I see another one react right on cue with amazing programmability.
The Trump haters respond to Trump’s intentional provocation without ever realizing that their response simply exacerbates the situation and their stupid reaction merely amplifies to consequently move Trumps intention to a higher level.
These haters make Trumps efforts much easier for him to accomplish what he set out to do – which is to antagonize them and rile them up. That they will forever let Trump get to them and then assist him in fulfilling his aim by stupidly overreacting is an amazement to behold.
You go, Donald – keep intentionally getting to these haters while you continue to make America great again.
Trump-Biden 2020 …
Gatlin posted on 2019-08-22 06:39:33 Reply Private Reply
#5: Gatlin To: BorisY (#2)
Gatlin posted on 2019-08-22 06:48:15 Reply Private Reply
#6: Willie Green To: Gatlin (#4)
You think Biden's gonna take Pence's place on Trump's ticket in 2020?
That's what happens when you start talking to boris as if you can understand him...
Willie Green posted on 2019-08-22 07:58:06 Reply Private Reply
#7: Deckard To: paraclete, Willie Green (#1)
So do most of his supporters, as evidenced by the cult-like posts here.
Deckard posted on 2019-08-22 08:02:10 Reply Private Reply
#8: Deckard To: Gatlin (#4)
Calling himself "the Chosen One" only displays his persistent malignant megalomania.
As well as his claim that Jews vote for him or else they are disloyal.
WTF is wrong with this psycho?
Deckard posted on 2019-08-22 08:05:56 Reply Private Reply
#9: Gatlin To: Deckard (#8)
For it is every four years that “we the people” in the US “choose” who we want to be our president.
The person we “choose” to be our president becomes the most powerful person on earth in charge of the world’s biggest superpower.
So, it was “we the people” who voted and “chose” Donald Trump to be our president – Right?
Of course, it is.
Ergo – Donald Trump is the “chosen one” by decree of the American voters. He was “chosen” by “we the people.
So, we “CHOSE” Donald Trump and the fact that you don’t like him and have great difficulty living with that – is entirely YOUR personal problem.
You need to learn to live with it. You see, you have no other choice for now and probably not until 2024 – as public sentiment is astoundingly indicating.
Trump-Biden 2020
Gatlin posted on 2019-08-22 08:46:59 Reply Private Reply
#10: Deckard To: Gatlin (#9)
We now know where your loyalties lie.
Dropping Pence in favor of Biden as Veep?
More 3d chess I suppose.
Deckard posted on 2019-08-22 08:49:14 Reply Private Reply
#11: Gatlin To: Deckard (#10)
What in the HELL do you mean "NOW?"
Are you some kinda "Rip Van Winkle?"
I always thought of you as a “Ron Paul” Paultard diehard.
Your ignorant surprises never end …
Gatlin posted on 2019-08-22 10:05:42 Reply Private Reply
#12: Deckard To: Gatlin (#11)
Yet you posted: Trump-Biden 2020
Deckard posted on 2019-08-22 10:14:19 Reply Private Reply
#13: Justified To: Willie Green (#0)
Hail King Trump!!!!!!!!! LMAO
BTW he was just poking fun at what someone posted about him. OMG people please get a life!
Justified posted on 2019-08-22 12:33:25 Reply Private Reply
#14: misterwhite To: paraclete (#1)
"Who does he think he is, Jesus Christ?"
"He is Jesus Christ. He thinks he's Arnold Palmer."
(Old joke.)
misterwhite posted on 2019-08-22 13:09:30 Reply Private Reply
#15: BorisY To: Willie Green (#6)
Demons
Zombies
Ghouls
Cannibals
Reverend wrighT
There is no help for you animals
BorisY posted on 2019-08-22 14:21:15 Reply Private Reply
#16: Gatlin To: Deckard (#12)
You should have stated: "Yet you PROUDLY posted Trump-Biden 2020."
Gatlin posted on 2019-08-22 14:28:36 Reply Private Reply
#17: Tooconservative To: Willie Green (#0)
I don't think the people of Israel have designated Root as their authoritative spokesman.
You have to doubt that Israelis think Trump is the Second Coming if they uniformly reject the idea that Jesus was the First Coming of the Jewish messiah.
Overall, Root as a former Libertarian Party vice-prez nominee who tried to defeat McStain and now doesn't want anyone to recall that inconvenient fact. He poses as a Republican of good judgment when his history of disloyalty and willingness to march under a banner to harm the electoral prospects of GOP candidates from the WH down to local races reveals that he is a political whore. He's just not a very convincing or sincere whore.
Besides, someone who bills themselves with a serial killer name like Wayne Allyn Root shouldn't be trusted anyway.
Tooconservative posted on 2019-08-22 22:48:30 Reply Private Reply
#18: paraclete To: Gatlin (#9)
paraclete posted on 2019-09-29 09:19:22 Reply Private Reply
#19: Gatlin To: paraclete (#18)
What are the requirements to vote in federal elections – you may ask.
You must be legally registered to vote in your jurisdiction in order to be able to vote in federal elections. State laws vary on voter requirements. The United States of America is no monarchy. There are however 13 monarchies in the Americas (self-governing states and territories that have a monarch as head of state). Each is a constitutional monarchy, where in the sovereign inherits his or her office, usually keeping it until death or abdication, and is bound by laws and customs in the exercise of their powers. Ten of these monarchies are independent states, and equally share Queen Elizabeth II, who resides primarily in the United Kingdom, as their respective sovereign, making them part of a global grouping known as the Commonwealth realms, while the remaining three are dependencies of European monarchies. As such, none of the monarchies in the Americas have a permanently-residing monarch. In the case of South America, it has no monarchies at all, the only continent in the world not to have any.WHITE - American monarchies
GREEN - Non-American monarchies
YELLOW - Former monarchies with pretenders
Salute,
Gatlin
Gatlin posted on 2019-09-29 10:27:02 Reply Private Reply