LETTER: In defense of Trump, who was set up by Kanye West

Dear VIN,
I think that everyone is overreacting to President Trump having dinner with Nick Fuentes. This is not a big deal.

If you look at the facts, two things are clear:

1. Trump has been a staunch supporter of Jews, perhaps more than any US president
2. Trump never heard of Fuentes. He was clearly set up by Kanye

Let’s look at Trump’s record. He moved the embassy to Jerusalem, despite enormous pressure. Other countries soon followed, which was highly beneficial for Israel’s sovereignty.

Trump defunded the Palestinians, which likely saved hundreds of Jewish lives by preventing terror attacks. He brokered the Abraham Accords, pardoned Shalom Rubashkin, and issued an executive order combating antisemitism.

His record speaks for itself. Trump loves the Jews.

Plus, Trump’s own daughter and grandchildren, with whom he is extremely close, are practicing orthodox Jews.

(Incidentally, none of these things won him the support of the majority of American Jews. Sure, the frum community is overwhelmingly pro-Trump. But that is a tiny sliver of the population. Trump feels like Jews are ungrateful to him, and he has a point. Secular Jews put support of Democrats over their own community.)

Now, if we look at the facts, Trump was clearly set up by Kanye, an antisemite, who requested a meeting with the former president. Was the meeting poor judgment by Trump? Perhaps.

But Kanye has been a loyal supporter of Trump, and he is influential in segments of the black community. He is also conservative, and I’m sure a generous donor.

I do not condone Trump meeting with him, but at the same time, we can sympathize. It is classic politics, virtually all politicians associate with bad people for political reasons.

Unbeknownst to Trump, Kanye brought an acquaintance who is a vicious and repulsive antisemite (whom David Friedman referred to as scum). Like most Americans, Trump never heard of Fuentes. None of those facts are disputed.

So that meeting is not something that we can condemn Trump for. And it certainly does not mean that Trump “associates” with Fuentes or other white supremacists.

Why did Kanye bring Fuentes to the meeting? He clearly set Trump up. He has very few allies right now, he has been canceled by Adidas and the rest of the world.

So he created a scenario where Trump will be associated with Kanye, and be labeled an antisemite. They are now forever linked, two Jew-haters.

It certainly is the most likely narrative. (Incidentally, this entire outcry has turned the obscure and fringe Fuentes, who nobody ever heard of, into a household name, splattered throughout the media, which cannot be a good thing.)

Now, you can make the case that Trump should disavow Fuentes and renounce his views. But that is not how he rolls.

He mocks public figures, he makes fun of people’s lack of energy and their personal habits and mannerisms. He blasts people (both right and left) with whom he has had personal fights. But Trump rarely disavows anyone because of their political beliefs.

That is just not his character.

Is Trump an antisemite? No. Does he associate with antisemites? No.

He was trying to help a friend, and got trapped. Is he guilty of poor judgment? Probably. Should he blast Fuentes? Probably, but it’s not going to happen, and his lack of blasting him does not warrant the pummeling that he is receiving right now by virtually everyone on the planet.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF VIN NEWS.