October 8, 2020
Trump commented on a tweet from actor James Woods slamming Bill de Blasio for allegedly ’rounding up the Jews’ over coronavirus restriction violations.
By World Israel News Staff
“Wow, what does this grim picture remind you of?” tweeted U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
Trump posted the comments in response to a video retweeted by actor James Woods, which showed New York police officers forcefully disrupting a Jewish holiday celebration on the streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
“‘Rounding up the Jews’ is an optic that I would never have expected to see in my American lifetime,” commented Woods on the video, adding, “[New York City Mayor Bill] DeBlasio is a criminal. No wonder he changed his name from Wilhelm. He is an anti-Semite thug piece of s**t.”
“Rounding up the Jews” is an optic that I would never have expected to see in my American lifetime. DeBlasio is a criminal. No wonder he changed his name from Wilhelm. He is an anti-Semite thug piece of shit. https://t.co/15cxKSAoOR
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 6, 2020
Trump’s comments when he shared Woods tweet and video appeared to be a potential reference to Nazi Germany’s persecution of the Jews.
“I am the only thing in the Radical Left’s way! VOTE,” Trump added to the end of his tweet.
Tensions have run high recently between the Jewish community and New York officials, including de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, over coronavirus restrictions and regulations that critics say unfairly target orthodox Jewish enclaves.
This is not the first time de Blasio has been accused of anti-Semitism with regard to his strategy for containing the coronavirus.
In April, de Blasio singled out the Jewish community on Twitter, later defending his comments as “tough love.”
“Members of the Jewish community were putting each other in danger and putting our police officers in danger,” the mayor said in follow up comments.
Following the tweet, people demanded the mayor’s resignation.
“I am convening the leadership of the World Jewish Congress to formally censure New York Mayor Bill de Blasio,” commented World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder at the time. “Last night, the mayor painted the Jewish community as lawbreakers and unconcerned about the city’s public health. This type of horrible stereotyping is dangerous and completely unacceptable at any time, but particularly while the world is gripped in fear and the worst among us are looking for scapegoats.
“Since December, Jews have been the target of terrorist attacks and have sustained much bloodshed throughout the New York region and beyond. Mayor de Blasio should know better than to throw gasoline on a smoldering fire. I will withdraw this censure if Mayor de Blasio immediately apologizes for his comments, but sadly I do not expect him to. The hate and rhetoric we’re seeing today mirrors the same vicious targeting of Jews during the Bubonic Plague.”
The U.S. Department of Justice also took de Blasio to task over unconstitutional restrictions on freedom of religion with regard to actions taken that affected the Jewish community.