jewish trump supporter
© Reuters/Loren ElliottAn audience member wears a Trump yarmulke before a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump at the Israeli American Council National Summit in Hollywood, Florida, U.S., December 7, 2019.
President Donald Trump has been accused of talking down to American Jews, after urging them to give more support to Israel.

More must be done in the United States to promote solidarity with Israel, Trump told nearly 4,000 Israelis and American Jews at the Israeli-American Council conference in Florida.
We have to get the people of our country, of this country, to love Israel more, I have to tell you that. We have to do it. We have to get them to love Israel more. Because you have people that are Jewish people that are great people - they don't love Israel enough.
While his grievance was well received by the staunchly pro-Israel group, the president found himself under attack from outraged social media users - many of whom said they were personally offended as Jews.

An "irreligious, amoral gentile" like Trump should not be lecturing Jews about Israel, quipped journalist David Atkins.

The president's remarks might even qualify as "Jewsplaining."

A man who identified himself as Jewish explained that he had no love for Israel because he doesn't "approve of the way that [it] treats Palestinians."

There were also plenty of cheeky responses to Trump's lecturing. Israel should be loved by all because it's a country where its leaders can actually be indicted for corruption, another tweet joked, contrasting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's legal troubles to Trump's litany of alleged crimes.


Trump's unconditional support for Israel has led to several controversial policy decisions, including Washington's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and to move its embassy there from Tel Aviv. In March, the White House said that it viewed the illegally annexed Golan Heights - Syrian territory - as part of Israel. During the conference, Trump argued that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are legitimate and do not violate international law.