Donald Trump
Photo: Reuters
Trump Twitter blunder could compromise Jewish support
Republican presidential candidate levels charges of corruption against his political opponent Hillary Clinton, evoking the Star of David to indicate her involvement in financial scandals.
Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump caused controversy on Saturday night after publishing on his Twitter account a tweet designed to criticize his political opponent, Hillary Clinton, inadvertently offending the American Jewish community in the process.
The picture posted on his feed showed Clinton against a backdrop of hundred dollar bills. Appearing next to her face were the words: “Most corrupt candidate ever” inside a red Star of David.
Donald Trump's Twitter posts
The picture conjured up images of the typical stereotype equating Jews with money and corruption. Apparently spotting the controversial nature of the choice of symbol, Trump updated the photo by removing the Star of David and replacing it with a red circle. However, in yet another faux pas, he forgot to remove the original version from his account.
Only two hours later did he delete the original version featuring the Star of David. Moreover, the updated version was also the subject of criticism since Trump added the hastag “AmericaFirst,” a slogan previously defined by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as anti-Semitic.
Donald Trump (Photo: Reuters)
The Republican presidential candidate often furnishes praise on the Jewish community, noting that his daughter, Ivanka converted to Judaism and recently gave birth to a Jewish baby.
At the end of last week, Trump dedicated a long Facebook post to the memory of Hallel Ariel, a 13-year-old Israeli girl who was stabbed to death last Thursday by a terrorist as she slept in her bed in Kiryat Arba.
