Is Trump An Anti-Semite? Ask David Duke, He Should Know.

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By Sam Kestenbaum February 21, 2017

Former Ku Klux Klan head David Duke wants to end the debate. Is President Trump Anti Semitic?

Yes, avowed white supremacist Duke says. But is that such a bad thing?

In a February 20 podcast, Duke started by offering his very own definition of anti-Semitism. “What is anti-Semitism? What is the proper definition of an anti-Semite?”

From his regular monitoring of Jewish press and orgaizations, Duke said in his podcast: “an anti-Semite is not simply someone who doesn’t like Jews, they define an anti-Semite as someone, anyone, who opposes the organized Jewish agenda.” Trump, Duke believes, does just that.

“They see Trump as a huge enemy,” Duke said. “They hate Donald Trump because he opposes their agenda.”

Jews, Duke said, “incite everybody against Americans” and for the Jewish establishment, Trump is an “existential threat.”

Duke supported Trump throughout the president’s campaign. And he continues to offer his full-throated support, even though he struggles to make sense of his support for the Jewish state.

When Trump speaks about Israel, Duke said, it “makes me cringe when I hear it.”

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected]

Sam Kestenbaum is a contributing editor and former staff writer for the Forward. Before this, he worked for The New York Times and newsrooms in Sana, Ramallah and Beijing. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum and on Instagram at @skestenbaum.

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