Donald Trump, President Of The United States By The Sovereign Intervention Of God - Michael Brown


Written by Michael Brown

If God has raised Trump up for certain divine purposes, it behooves us to ask what those purposes are — and to pray for divine restraint on his life.

As the political pundits weigh in on the many sociological and ideological factors that contributed to Donald Trump’s stunning victory, allow me to weigh in on the spiritual side of things.

I believe Trump has been elected president by divine intervention.

I’m aware, of course, that some people believe that everything happens by the will of God, which means that whoever wins the presidency wins by God’s express will.

Yet there are times when there are so many odds against something happening, when it so greatly defies logic, that it is easier to recognize God’s involvement.

That, I believe, is the case with Donald Trump winning — and remember, this comes from someone who endorsed Ted Cruz and was one of Trump’s stronger conservative critics during the primaries.

Just think of the obstacles Trump overcame, including: 1) The massive baggage of his past, including the release of a vulgar video with his tremendously offensive sexual comments along with numerous women accusing him of sexual assault (as reported by no less than the New York Times); 2) his myriad campaign errors, with enough misstatements and inappropriate remarks to sink several candidates; 3) a very strong Republican field, including governors like Bush, Christie, Kasich, Huckabee and Walker, senators like Cruz, Rubio and Santorum, and outsiders like Carson and Fiorina; 4) the massive power of the Clinton political machine; and 5) the overwhelming collusion of the mainstream media.

There are times when there are so many odds against something happening, when it so greatly defies logic, that it is easier to recognize God’s involvement.


To be sure, some will say, “Yes, God has raised up Donald Trump, but it is to judge America, not bless America. He has given us what we deserve, and it is not good.”

That is certainly a possibility, and either way, Trump’s many negative qualities are still glaring and our nation remains terribly divided.

But if, indeed, God has raised Trump up for certain divine purposes, it behooves us to ask what those purposes are.

First, consider this post from Pastor Jeremiah Johnson, now just 28 years old, dating to July of last year.

Jeremiah knew very little about Trump when he wrote these words:

I was in a time of prayer several weeks ago when God began to speak to me concerning the destiny of Donald Trump in America. The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “Trump shall become My trumpet to the American people, for he possesses qualities that are even hard to find in My people these days. Trump does not fear man nor will he allow deception and lies to go unnoticed. I am going to use him to expose darkness and perversion in America like never before, but you must understand that he is like a bull in a china closet. Many will want to throw him away because he will disturb their sense of peace and tranquility, but you must listen through the bantering to discover the truth that I will speak through him. I will use the wealth that I have given him to expose and launch investigations searching for the truth. Just as I raised up Cyrus to fulfill My purposes and plans, so have I raised up Trump to fulfill my purposes and plans prior to the 2016 election. You must listen to the trumpet very closely for he will sound the alarm and many will be blessed because of his compassion and mercy. Though many see the outward pride and arrogance, I have given him the tender heart of a father that wants to lend a helping hand to the poor and the needy, to the foreigner and the stranger.’

Obviously, Trump’s policies regarding immigration would seem to contradict the final sentence here, but if the rest of this proclamation is true, then perhaps this part will prove true too as well.

Second, consider the perspective of Dr. Lance Wallnau, a Christian speaker and leadership coach who often thinks outside the box. He too felt that God was raising up Trump to be a Cyrus-type leader — someone used by God to help the nation, even though he himself was not a believer — feeling directed to read a passage from Isaiah 45 to Trump (this passage speaks of Cyrus), and say that Trump was called to be the 45th president of the United States.

Wallnau believes that God is using Trump as a “wrecking ball to the spirit of political correctness,” claiming, “His emergence is such a destabilizing threat to the vast deal making machinery embedded in both parties that he has the unique distinction of being rejected by both liberal Democrats and establishment Republicans at the same time.”

In Wallnau’s words, Trump is God’s “chaos candidate.” (For my 90-minute interview with Dr. Wallnau on this subject, where he took calls from critics, see here.)

If, indeed, God has raised Trump up for certain divine purposes, it behooves us to ask what those purposes are.


But here is the major caveat, even if all (or most of these things) are true: If Trump, indeed, is a divine wrecking ball, then he could do as much as harm as good, and to the extent that he is appealing to the fears and frustrations and anger of a nation, he is channeling some potentially dangerous emotions.

That means that we should pray that: 1) he will continue to surround himself with solid men like Mike Pence, his Vice President, or Rudy Giuliani, possibly his Attorney General ; 2) he will listen to the godly leaders who have been speaking into his life, like James Robison and Tony Perkins; 3) he will humble himself, recognizing that the pride that has brought him this far is the pride that could destroy him; 4) he will keep his word about the Supreme Court justices he will nominate; 5) he will not compromise the Republican Platform in some misguided effort to prove his moderation; 6) he will do his best not to alienate those who are horrified by his presidency, instead pledging to be the president of all Americans (that would mean, for example, declaring war on radical Islam without declaring war on all Muslims); 7) he will demonstrate that he will ultimately help our nation as a whole (for example, with good economic policies or by proposing something better than Obamacare); 8) he will learn to act presidential (rather than vengeful and impetuous) on both a national and international level.

In short, if Trump indeed is president by divine intervention, we should pray for divine restraint on his life as well, lest this divine wrecking ball wreak havoc on the nation while tearing down what is wrong. May he be a divinely guided wrecking ball!

Culled from THE STREAM

Niger Delta Avengers Celebrates Donald Trump's 'Hard Fought Victory'


Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, the militant group at the forefront of the agitation for fiscal federalism in Nigeria and economic emancipation of the Niger Delta region, has commended the President – Elect of the United States of America, Donald J Trump.


The group in a statement by its spokesperson: self-styled Brigadier General Mudoch Agbinibo, asserted: “Your hard fought victory against world establishments is hope for us, the over 30 million oppressed minorities of the Niger – Delta that have being continuously raped and economically colonized because of our God-given resources, over the last six decades, by the Nigerian state and Islamic fundamentalists in power.”

“Mr. President elect of the United States of America sir, we are hoping for a new perfect economic order and relations as it concerns the United States’ critical assets and interest in the Niger Delta.

“Lead the world to a real change not the President Barack Obama change that manipulated a clueless puppet in General Muhammadu Buhari on the people of Nigeria,” NDA said.

BREAKING: President Buhari To Swear In Nkanu Onnoghen As Acting Chief Justice Of Nigeria Today
10-11-2016

President Buhari will today at about 2pm at the state house Abuja, swear in acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Nkanu Onnoghen. ‎

This follows the retirement of the current CJN, Justice Mahmud Muhammed, who will officially retire today having attained the retirement age of ‎70.

The National Judicial Council had on October 5th forwarded Justice Onnoghen name to President Buhari as Muhammed's replacement.

Thursday, November 10, 2016
Disappointed ISIS Slams Donald Trump Victory, Says He Is A Fool And Would Destroy America Himself
Obviously disappointed Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has slammed the victory of Donald Trump in the just concluded election saying he is a fool and would destroy America himself thereby giving Jihadis opportunity to seize power. They went on to refer to him as a donkey saying he is "an indication of the end of the American empire".

"What we want is their country be delivered to a donkey like Trump who will destroy it. In the end, they are all our enemies and we will only meet them on the battlefields. It is either them or us. We ask Allah to make their destruction caused by their own plans and their death come among themselves.

The world is going to experience a change and this change will put Islam in the leadership position as the end result" One ISIS Jihad said.

Few hours ago, al-Qaeda group also said that Trump's win will give extremists across the Middle East a common enemy – sparking fears of a major attack on US soil

US Muslims watch Trump victory with ‘fear and concern’
In Dearborn, residents say they ‘feel vulnerable’ after Republican candidate sweeps vote
By Nova SAFO November 9, 2016, 11:55 pm 2


DEARBORN, Michigan (AFP) — At a Starbucks cafe in Dearborn, Michigan, 25-year-old Mona Musid was glued to her laptop, watching a YouTube video of President-elect Donald Trump’s victory speech.

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This Detroit suburb is home to one of the biggest populations of Muslims and Arabs in the United States, and Musid was among many in her community on Wednesday trying to make sense of the brash Republican’s election.

“I’m just interested in what he has to say, and where it’s going to go,” she said, listening for clues in the victory speech of what her immediate future might look like.

Musid said many in her extended family, who are of Yemeni ancestry and trace their US roots back to the 1940s, are in a state of shock and worry.

“They don’t know what’s going to go on. They came here for opportunity. They’re just worried if he takes it away from us,” she said.
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks with patrons at Miller's Bar on November 4, 2016 in Dearborn, Michigan. (AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski)

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks with patrons at Miller’s Bar on November 4, 2016 in Dearborn, Michigan. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

Trump’s campaign rhetoric included calls for a ban on Muslim immigrants entering the US, followed by promises of “extreme vetting” of immigrants from countries affected by terrorism.

Across the country, Muslim Americans are now wondering what a Trump presidency might mean, said Hazem Bata, head of the Islamic Society of North America, a national advocacy group.

“What I’m hearing is a mixture of fear and concern,” Bata said.

“Many people feel vulnerable. Many Muslims here are not necessarily US citizens. They’re here legally, but they’re not US citizens. They’re concerned. Some are outright scared.”

During his victory speech, Trump offered a conciliatory tone.

“I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans,” Trump said. “All races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs.”
Malaysian Muslim school girls pose for a selfie with a cut-out of the US presidential candidate Donald Trump during an event to follow the election results in Kuala Lumpur on November 9, 2016.(AFP PHOTO / MANAN VATSYAYANA)

Malaysian Muslim school girls pose for a selfie with a cut-out of the US presidential candidate Donald Trump during an event to follow the election results in Kuala Lumpur on November 9, 2016. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana)

But those words rang hollow for three sisters at The Lava Lounge, a popular lunch hangout in Dearborn.

Television news blared in front of the three fifth-generation Americans of Lebanese descent. Alyse, one of the three, who didn’t want to give her full name, said Trump’s ascendancy exposed “how much hatred there is within our country.”

“The damage is irreversible,” she said.

“I feel like hard times are gonna come,” added her sister Nadeen Hider, 24. “Within one night, 60 years of progression was wiped clean.”

Trump’s victory was also as much a source of confusion as fear.

At the Muslim American Youth Academy in Dearborn — an elementary and middle school — children in the morning were asking questions of each other and their parents.

“How could they elect Trump over Hillary Clinton?,” asked one youngster to a group of peers and adults, who offered no answer.
Protestors hold signs against US President-elect Donald Trump on November 9, 2016 in front of the White House in Washnigton, DC. (AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM)

Protestors hold signs against US President-elect Donald Trump on November 9, 2016 in front of the White House in Washnigton, DC. (AFP/Nicholas Kamm)

“Four years of nothingness,” a young girl exclaimed as she entered the school with her parents.

For some, the consequences of Trump’s victory were direct and immediate.

Hiba Nasser, 19, a sophomore at Wayne State University in Detroit, said she was afraid to leave her home Wednesday morning.

Nasser wears a hijab, the traditional Muslim head covering, and was concerned that Trump’s victory would embolden those who might target her. She said she already endures occasional harassment.

“People tell me I’m a terrorist, that my being in this country is wrong, that I should go,” Nasser said.

However, there was also a counter-narrative among Muslim Americans in Dearborn — many of whom have lived in the US for decades and are less concerned about immigration issues.
Demonstrators hold placards that read "No to racism, no to Trump" during a protest outside the US Embassy in London on November 9, 2016 against US President-elect Donald Trump after he was declared the winner of the US presidential election. (AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALL)

Demonstrators hold placards that read ‘No to racism, No to Trump’ during a protest outside the US Embassy in London on November 9, 2016 against US President-elect Donald Trump after he was declared the winner of the US presidential election. (AFP/Ben Stansall)

Often not wishing to be identified by name, several told AFP that they were happy with Trump’s victory, because they did not trust Clinton.

While buying breakfast at New Yasmeen’s Bakery, Hassan Elhassani, 33, said Trump was the lesser of two bad choices.

“I am not concerned by (Trump’s) rhetoric,” said Elhassani, who emigrated from Lebanon 17 years ago and is a US citizen.

“If you are a citizen, he can’t change nothing.”

American Jews voted 70%-25% in favor of Clinton over Trump, poll shows
But Republicans say president-elect got second-highest total vote among Jews in past 30 years, outpaced only by Romney
By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil November 10, 2016, 12:38 am 14


WASHINGTON – Jewish voters overwhelmingly voted against President-elect Donald Trump, with polls suggesting that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton defeated the Republican in the Jewish community by an approximately three-to-one margin. According to a national poll conducted on election night for J Street by Democratic pollster Jim Gerstein, Clinton garnered 70 percent of the Jewish vote in contrast to Trump’s 25 percent.

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While Republicans acknowledged that Trump’s personal image was at times a tough sell to Jewish voters, they emphasized that the businessman received the second-highest total Jewish vote for a Republican presidential candidate in the past three decades, outpaced only by 2012 candidate Governor Mitt Romney.

According to the Gerstein poll, approximately one-third of Jews who voted for Clinton (32%) considered their vote more of a protest against Trump rather than a ballot in favor of Clinton, while 45% of those who chose Trump considered their vote more of an act against Clinton rather than for Trump. Almost a quarter (22%) of Jewish voters said that they had donated to Clinton’s campaign, while a mere 7% said that they donated to Trump’s.

Jewish voters, Gerstein noted, “voted for Clinton more than Hispanics, and more than any other religious group including [those who identify as] no religion.”

At the same time, he acknowledged, “there is a bloc of Jewish Republicans — it exists, it is small, but it is not going away.”
This combination of pictures created on November 8, 2016 shows US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Tampa, Florida on November 5, 2016 and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Allendale, Michigan on November 7, 2016. (AFP)

This combination of pictures created on November 8, 2016 shows US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Tampa, Florida on November 5, 2016 and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in Allendale, Michigan on November 7, 2016. (AFP)

Despite the overwhelming numbers in support of Clinton, both J Street and the Republican Jewish Coalition claimed that they had succeeded in taking their dueling messages to the American Jewish public. Each organization argued that its successes at ballot boxes demonstrated long-term trends in the Jewish community, while both claimed that the Iran nuclear deal had particular sway among voters this November.

“We have been making consistent inroads in the Jewish vote – the dire predictions that Donald Trump was going to get the smallest share in history of the Jewish vote never materialized,” Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks argued. Trump, he said, “got the second-highest vote total [among Jews] in the last 30 years of any Republican candidate.” While the Republican share of the Jewish vote didn’t increase in this cycle, Brooks stressed Trump’s second-place finish behind 2012 candidate Romney for total votes.

“It is our goal in every election to increase our share of the vote,” Brooks acknowledged, adding that “while are disappointed that we didn’t increase the share this time,” he still found the performance encouraging relative to “dire predictions” he had heard of low Jewish support for Trump.

Acknowledging that Trump’s personal image was at times a challenging sell among Jews, Brooks said that it was issues, and particularly the Iran deal, which helped his organization convince Jewish voters to support Republican tickets in key swing states.

The RJC had long said that it expected the Iran nuclear deal to serve a powerful role in selling its candidates – a decision that was confirmed by internal polling. Brooks said Wednesday that they made the deal “a centerpiece of our efforts,” reaching out to voters in the key swing states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Advertisements, phone bankers, and door-to-door outreach all contrasted Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s support for the deal with Trump’s skeptical position toward the agreement that was considered by some Democrats to be the jewel in the Obama administration’s foreign policy crown.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) is greeted as he visits an early voting center to cast his general election ballot on October 31, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP)

Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) is greeted as he visits an early voting center to cast his general election ballot on October 31, 2016 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP)

“The deal was central and it paid significant dividends,” said Brooks, arguing that his organization’s efforts had a profound impact on close Senate races in the same target states. Deal opponents Pat Toomey, Marco Rubio and Rob Portman all retained their seats in Tuesday races, with Toomey inching by the challenger for his Pennsylvania senate seat, Democrat Katie McGintie.

Rubio’s challenger, Congressman Pat Murphy, was a vocal supporter of the nuclear agreement as a member of the House of Representatives. Murphy was endorsed by Democrat-leaning J Street’s PAC, and his defeat, while anticipated, reflected part of the RJC’s electoral strategy.

“He had announced a strategic goal of taking on J Street,” said Brooks. The RJC head claimed that its candidates won in a total of 45 out of 64 races, including 13 out of 20 Senate races in which they targeted J Street endorsees.

Brooks highlighted other successes for the organization during Tuesday’s historic elections.
Jewish Republican Lee Zeldin, a US Representative for New York's 1st congressional district. (Courtesy JTA)

Jewish Republican Lee Zeldin, a US Representative for New York’s 1st congressional district. (Courtesy JTA)

“A special pride to us is the result of a longstanding effort we have had to really sort of groom and recruit a bench of future leaders from across the country to run for office,” Brooks said, noting that the election of David Kustoff to represent Tennessee in the House of Representatives doubled the total Jewish representation on the Republican side of the lower house. Fellow Jewish Republican Lee Zeldin successfully defended his New York seat to become a second-term representative.

Brooks also cited the victory of Eric Greitens, who will serve as governor of Missouri.

Brooks said that his organization raised and spent over $5 million in direct contributions for Congressional campaigns; RJC leaders also raised over $10 million for the presidential contest, not counting additional donations made through superPACs.

“I am particularly pleased with the unprecedented amount of support our members raised and gave,” he said.

Much of the RJC’s funds were spent launching what Brooks described as “an unprecedented grassroots ground operation, hiring field staff in Florida, opening a new office in Cleveland, and targeting Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida voters with over 1,000 volunteers resulting in over half a million voter contacts in those key areas.

The mood crosstown at J Street was quite different a day after the bitterly contested vote. “Although J Street did not endorse in the presidential elections, we did make it unequivocally clear that in our opinion, Trump is not fit to be the president,” J Street head Jeremy Ben-Ami said Wednesday afternoon.
J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami addressing the group’s conference in Washington, March 21, 2015. (Courtesy JTA/J Street)

J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami addressing the group’s conference in Washington, March 21, 2015. (Courtesy JTA/J Street)

Acknowledging that J Street is “not particularly thrilled in the results at the top of the ticket,” Ben-Ami added that “in our view one of the most important messages and clearest lessons from the polling is that American Jews remain a bedrock democratic constituency with overwhelming disdain for Donald Trump and many of his signature policies.”

“The Trump movement didn’t succeed in moving Jewish voters into the Republican column,” Ben-Ami argued. He cited the defeats of anti-deal Senators Mark Kirk and Kelly Ayotte by J Street endorsees Tammy Duckworth and Maggie Hassan as evidence that voters had rejected what he called “anti-diplomacy politics at the congressional level.”

While the rival organizations vied to claim achievements among Jewish voters, the bipartisan American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) released a statement Wednesday afternoon congratulating Trump and Pence, and welcoming an incoming cohort of members of Congress which it described as “the most pro-Israel Congress ever.”

Seeking to smooth partisan waters, AIPAC noted that “despite their deep differences on a range of issues, both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates notably shared a common commitment to the US-Israel alliance.”

“Strong bipartisan support for the Jewish state is also reflected overwhelmingly in the incoming Congress,” the organization continued in its statement. “This election once again demonstrates that support for Israel transcends partisan differences. The shared values and common interests between the United States and Israel are great constants that endure.”

Exploding the poor white myth of Trump’s rise to power
Votes from women, Latinos and the educated show the maverick billionaire appeals to a crumbling middle class
By Jennie Matthew and Catherine TRIOMPHE November 10, 2016, 11:16 am



AFP — The myth that only uneducated white men would vote for Donald Trump exploded in a sensational win for the maverick billionaire, a former reality star with no political experience whatsoever.

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His resounding victory — even if Hillary Clinton won the popular vote — spotlights a wealthier and more diverse coalition of supporters than many Americans thought possible, including educated voters, women and minority voters.

Here is a look at who voted for whom in the biggest political upset in American politics for generations:
Middle class and educated

Half of Americans who are considered middle class, making $100,000 (NIS 383,00 a year or more, voted for the 70-year-old billionaire according to USA Today’s exit poll.

Forty-three percent of people with college degrees backed the Republican, although post-graduates voted overwhelmingly for Clinton, the Democrat, at 58 percent to 35 percent.

“We wanted to send a message that there’s too much government ruling our life and that had to stop,” said Rolando Chumaceiro, a family doctor who lives in affluent White Plains, New York.

He recognized problems with Trump, questioned the way he spoke and his vulgar remarks about women and but said overall he was the better choice.

“Mrs Clinton comes from the establishment. It’s the same old fashioned government. We don’t need that anymore,” he said.

Lower income voters leaned towards Clinton but their support had eroded since President Barack Obama’s election in 2012, perhaps fueled in part by resentment of the high costs associated with Obamacare.
Wolf Blitzer and Jonh King discussing the dynamic electorate map on CNN as polls closed on November 8, 2016. (Screen capture: YouTube)

Wolf Blitzer and Jonh King discussing the dynamic electorate map on CNN as polls closed on November 8, 2016. (Screen capture: YouTube)
Rural-urban divide

Trump’s success was rooted in profound dissatisfaction with the status quo — felt keenly in rural areas and smaller towns far from prosperous cities that voted overwhelmingly for Clinton.

“There is a world outside of the East Coast and the California Coast which nobody wants to think about,” said Sam Abrams, professor of political science at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York.

“It’s the have and have not divide,” he said.

In a city-based service and knowledge economy, people in more rural areas are struggling. “When you struggle you get angry… and Trump became the symbol of that anger,” said Abrams.

Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin, for example, are states where Trump sealed shock wins. It was the first time Wisconsin went Republican in a presidential election since 2004.
Minorities: It’s complicated

White turnout was higher than expected and Trump won more of the traditional Republican vote than Mitt Romney, a Mormon, in 2012.

Latino turnout was at a record high. While two-thirds voted Clinton, Trump won 29 percent of the demographic compared to Romney’s 27 percent in spite of inflammatory remarks about Mexicans and his tough stance on immigration.

The Latino vote is not homogenous, experts say. Cuban Americans backed Trump, others who are socially conservative also supported him.

While a majority of African Americans voted Clinton, she won their vote by a smaller margin than did Obama over Romney in 2008 and 2012.

Asian American, African American and Jewish American supporters at Trump’s victory party denied allegations that he was racist or anti-Semitic in any way.

“He created one of the most pro-Israel platforms in the history of the country, this is just crazy to say that he’s running anything as anti-Semitic in his campaign,” said supporter Aliza Romanoff whose father advised Trump.
Women

Trump may have persistently offended women and been accused of sexual impropriety by at least 12 women, but it didn’t cost him the female vote.

American women traditionally lean Democratic, and Clinton won the female vote 54 to 42 percent, about the same as Obama, according to Pew Research Center.

Romney won 44 percent of the women’s vote in 2012 and fellow Republican nominee John McCain won 43 percent in 2008.

In Iowa, for example, women without college degrees were evenly split between Clinton and Trump, despite having voted by a majority of 17 points for Obama in 2012, according to The New York Times exit poll.
Evangelicals

According to the Pew Research Center, eight in 10 white born-again, evangelical Christians say they voted for Trump compared to 16 percent for Clinton.

This shocked some observers given the twice-divorced Republican’s vulgar remarks about groping women and his record as a socially liberal New Yorker who has been accepting of gay and transgender rights.
Millennials

Obama was propelled into office on a wave of hope and optimism by harnessing the youth vote. But young Americans threw less weight behind the Democratic candidate this time, disappointed in Obama’s administration and unenthusiastic about his anointed successor.

Clinton’s long-running email scandal, perceptions that she was untrustworthy and her ties to Wall Street damaged the Democrat. Millennials had overwhelmingly favored her challenger Bernie Sanders in the primary.

In Trump campaign, Jewish assumptions come undone
A look at how the Republican candidate sought the pro-Israel vote even as he appealed to an anxious, resentful base
By Ron Kampeas November 10, 2016, 11:17 am


WASHINGTON (JTA) – In forging an unprecedented and stunning path to the presidency, Donald Trump claimed to represent Americans who were anxious, resentful and ready to make radical changes. Their electoral strength blindsided pollsters and pundits — and flabbergasted many Jews, for whom the Trump base was once largely invisible. That is about to irrevocably change.

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Here are some questions raised by Trump’s showing:

Donald Trump says good things about Israel and plays up conspiracy theories embraced by anti-Semites. Can they be separated?

Trump won Florida, by a hair’s breadth.

Campaigning hard for the state, he sought the support of its substantial Jewish community, in part by pivoting from relative coolness to Israel at the outset of his campaign to aligning with a right-wing pro-Israel posture by its end: bashing the Iran nuclear deal, swearing to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, retreating from emphasizing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A supporter waits for former Democratic US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to speak at the New Yorker Hotel after her defeat to rival Republican Donald Trump last night November 9, 2016 in New York. (AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski)

A supporter waits for former Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to speak at the New Yorker Hotel after her defeat to rival Republican Donald Trump last night November 9, 2016 in New York. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

“We will stand strong, we have to stand strong with the State of Israel in their fight against Islamic terrorists,” Trump told a rally Monday morning in Sarasota. He bashed President Barack Obama’s record on Israel.

Three weeks earlier, same state, West Palm Beach: Trump in a speech indicted Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, as part of a secret conspiracy involving international banks seeking global control – codes straight out of the anti-Semitic canon.

“Hillary Clinton meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of US sovereignty in order to enrich these global financial powers, her special interest friends and her donors,” he said.

Last Friday, he ran a final statement video ad featuring excerpts of the speech – and this time attaching to it three famous Jewish faces (again without saying “Jew” or naming Jews as a class).

The speech and ad culminated a campaign pocked with similar dog whistles, including Trump’s use on Twitter of images that originated on anti-Semitic websites. Several times in debates and speeches, he invoked the names of little-known Jewish advisers to Clinton as emblematic of nefariousness.
Supporters gather for an opportunity to meet Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump after a rally at Atlantic Aviation on June 11, 2016 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images/AFP)

Supporters gather for an opportunity to meet Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after a rally at Atlantic Aviation on June 11, 2016 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images/AFP)

Anti-Semites on the Alt-right movement eagerly perked up at what sounded to their ears as whistles.

It’s tempting to liken this dilemma to that faced by Jews under President Richard Nixon, who was obsessed with what he believed to be the conspiracies against him by American Jews, but who adored their Israeli cousins. (And who also had trusted Jewish advisers, including his secretary of state, Henry Kissinger.) Jews survived Nixon, and still thank him for the massive airlift of arms during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

But it’s different with Trump. Whatever Nixon’s weirdness about Jews, it did not permeate his campaigns; it became evident years later, as tapes he recorded peppered with anti-Jewish epithets became public.

Moreover, Nixon was a relative liberal when it came to other minorities. It is true that under him the Republican Party pursued a “Southern strategy,” sending coded messages to white racists. But his policies, including desegregation and investing in the rise of a black middle class, would seem progressive today.
President Richard Nixon arrives in Israel, June 17, 1974 -- the first serving president to visit. (photo credit: GPO)

President Richard Nixon arrives in Israel, June 17, 1974 — the first serving president to visit. (GPO)

Trump, by contrast, has hardly been coded in his messages he sends about other minorities, especially Hispanics and Muslims, but blacks as well. And there is also the matter of his record of misogynistic comments.

That presents a host of dilemmas for Jews, conceivably forcing them to weigh their American identity, forged through a close association with the civil rights and feminist movements, and their loyalty to Israel. Cozying up to Trump as a means of keeping Israel on his good side would likely be seen as a betrayal among considerable swaths of the Hispanic, African-American and Muslim communities, constituencies Jewish and pro-Israel organizations in recent years have been eager to cultivate.

Israel is the Jewish homeland. Israel is also foreign. Does Trump get that?

Trump seems to understand – at least in his more recent speeches – the importance that much of the Jewish community attaches to Israel as the homeland. He also wants to pull up the drawbridge, to insulate America against the wider world, likely diminishing US influence.

The centrist pro-Israel community, led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, for decades has cast assistance to Israel as inextricable from the robust US foreign presence overseas. Invest in US influence in the Middle East, in Europe, in Africa, the thinking went, and Israel, as a close ally, could only benefit. America could, and did, leverage its considerable influence in those arenas to benefit Israel.

What holds back the expansion of the boycott Israel movement? What drew a broad coalition of nations to sanction Iran? The willingness to leverage US influence in the global arena and expend US largesse. Diminish influence and leverage fades as well; there is not stick without carrots.

The formula advanced by Trump – and by the Republican Party, which at its convention embraced closeness with Israel while retreating from overseas engagement – is that America will keep Israel close whatever the vicissitudes of its relationships with other countries.
Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matreska depict US presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and US president-elect Donald Trump displayed in a shop in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Traditional Russian wooden dolls called Matreska depict US presidents, from left, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and US president-elect Donald Trump displayed in a shop in Moscow, Russia on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

That raises tough questions for Israel, which chafes at the notion that it must rely on a great power to survive. It also casts American Jews as a protected class, able to seek favors for its homeland while other ethnic minorities are cut off – not a status much of the American Jewish community would embrace gladly.

What happens to Jewish conservatives?

A good portion of the conservative resistance to Trump during the campaign was driven by Jews in the movement. Jewish conservatives over the decades had led the effort to make the party more amenable to other minorities and also argued for the holistically robust foreign policy described above. (Both postures, rejecting racial particularism and advocating expanded US influence, were hallmarks of neoconservatism, a movement in which Jews are preeminent.)

The thinking until now was to let the election pass, anticipate Trump’s loss and rebuild the party.

Trump now is the party. Where do these conservatives go?

Who are these people?

Trump tapped into real frustrations with an American economy that even as it grew robbed the middle class of guarantees it once took for granted: college educations for the kids, pensions that lasted until death, a lifetime free of debt.

He also tapped into visceral fears among the portion of the middle class that is white, traditionalist and Christian, that the country looked like it less and less; that privileges that white middle-class Christians had never acknowledged – the protection of the police without considering what it cost marginalized communities, a culture with icons that were as white as they were, first dibs at jobs – were falling away.
Dump Trump signs line a traffic circle on November 8, 2016 in North Manchester, New Hampshire. After a contentious campaign season, Americans go to the polls today to choose the next president of the United States. (Darren McCollester/Getty Images/AFP)

Dump Trump signs line a traffic circle on November 8, 2016 in North Manchester, New Hampshire. After a contentious campaign season, Americans go to the polls today to choose the next president of the United States. (Darren McCollester/Getty Images/AFP)

It was a class that to a great degree was invisible to Jews, who are largely liberal and confined to coastal enclaves.

Like the rest of the country, Jewish Americans must now contend with this population: Who are they? What are their legitimate grievances? What are the things they seek to preserve that are abhorrent to Jews? How do we reconcile these things?

Niger Delta avengers congrats President-elect Trump

An Open Letter to Florida Jews
October 23, 2016, 10:57 pm


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I write as a rabbi, an American, and in memory of my parents, z”l, proud Floridians who did not live to vote in this election.

Almost everyone longs to make a difference, to leave the world a better place. Most of us do it in small ways: raising a family, helping friends and neighbors. Some get to do something on a grander scale, shaping the future for all our children.

Each of you in Florida has that opportunity right now; you’re in a swing state, and may well choose the next leader of the free world. Our history as Jews has taught us that we can never be complacent anywhere – from medieval Spain to modern Germany, we’ve seen societies turn. We know with horrifying certainty that “it couldn’t happen here” is never true. Not even in America.

Many of us are rightly scared and angry. The world is a frightening place. How should we channel our fear into action?

My mother taught me to examine the roots of my fears, so I could act calmly and rationally even when afraid. Jewish tradition demands the same. The Torah tells of the Israelite scouts who scared the people out of pursuing their vision; our Kol Nidre prayers refer back to that story, when we sought forgiveness for the sin of acting from fear. Jews are supposed to be learned, discerning, able to bracket our emotions and act on values.

So I’m asking you to do a few things before this election:

1) Spend some quiet time reflecting on what you’re afraid of, what’s really likely, and what’s not.

For me, the greatest threat right now is that America will cease to be a democracy – that we’ll lose the tolerance and diversity that defines us.

The Holocaust has taught me to believe what candidates say they’ll do. Donald Trump says he will require registration, and bar immigration, based on religion. He says he will limit First Amendment press freedoms. He says women will be punished for abortions. He’s threatened to “jail” a political opponent. He says he will default on U.S. obligations abroad, will not support our NATO allies, and will be “sort of a neutral guy” on Israel. He conflates autocratic rule with “strength.” He incites violence. He won’t denounce hate speech, including anti-Semitism. All of that terrifies me.

You won’t hear such dangerous threats and disregard for our Constitution from Hillary Clinton. Even if you don’t trust her, what do you fear she will actually do? Do you think there’s a serious risk she will unravel American democracy and create an authoritarian state?

2) Spend some thoughtful time analyzing rationally who is likely to be effective.

When Hillary Clinton is in public office, she gets overwhelmingly high approval ratings – from Democrats and Republicans, even Trump himself – because she works hard; she’s good at the job, and she’s done a lot of good for a lot of people.

Perhaps Hillary is not as good at campaigning. Trump is an entertainer; he can rally up a crowd. But his professional life is littered with lawsuits, bankruptcies, and unpaid bills. Not a single colleague or business associate spoke on his behalf at the convention. Since he won’t reveal his tax returns, we don’t even know if he’s a good businessman; we do know that he feels no obligation to pay his fair share. There’s no evidence he’s ever done anything good for anyone except himself.

Which is more important to you in a president – campaigning or governing?

3) Do some research outside of social media, and read beneath the headlines.

As a First Amendment lawyer I have great respect for the press. And I’ve seen first-hand how disciplined, research-based, factual reporting has been over-shadowed and undermined by fear-mongering rumor mills, baseless opinion masquerading as fact, and conspiracy theories promulgated on social media. Please step out of that realm and look closely for evidence.

4) List the qualities you think make for real leadership.

Jewish sources suggest: humility, respect for everyone’s dignity, wisdom, a willingness to make sacrifices for others, listening to and learning from everyone, kindness.

These are considered disqualifying: self-aggrandizement, attention-seeking, arrogance, disrespectful speech, playing on people’s fears, bullying, and derogatory name-calling, which Maimonides saw as so indicative of bad character that it denies a person a place in the World to Come.

What is your list, and who best embodies those qualities?

In New York on Broadway, George Washington sings nightly to Alexander Hamilton, “History has its eyes on you.” But as a Jew in Florida, history has its eyes on you.

My parents left me a legacy of strong values, courage in the face of fear, and disciplined discernment. What legacy will you leave through your vote?

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Rabbi Jan Uhrbach is Director of the Block/Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and rabbi of the Conservative Synagogue of the Hamptons. This letter is written in her individual capacity.