The Paradox of Trump's Disloyalty Accusation

"No, no, no. It's only in your head," said President Donald Trump last Wednesday when reporters asked him if his disloyalty comments were anti-Semitic. "It's only anti-Semitic in your head."

Most analyses of his statements, however, tell a different story. After the president called Democratic-voting Jews disloyal, commentators and journalists across multiple media platforms were quick to point out the anti-Semitism embedded in Trump's accusations. Allegations of disloyalty or dual loyalty have been aimed at Jewish people for centuries, according to a report put out by the Anti-Defamation League in 2018. The accusation implies that "Jews should be suspected of being disloyal neighbors or citizens because their true allegiance is to their coreligionists around the world or to a secret and immoral Jewish agenda," the report says.