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.
“The 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 percent 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 percent of Israel’s population was Jewish.
According to Gallup polling, 26 percent 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, Va., protesters.
