Jared Kushner defends Donald Trump in raw op-ed


In an op-ed published Wednesday at the Observer, Jared Kushner responded to those urging him to call out his father-in-law Donald Trump over the latter's perceived anti-Semitic behavior. Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, is Jewish, as are Trump's grandchildren. Ivanka converted to Judaism before marrying Kushner in 2009.
Kushner begins his Observer piece bluntly, writing: "My father-in-law is not an anti-Semite." He goes on to detail his family's personal history with the Holocaust — he lost a great-aunt and a great-uncle in the war, he writes — to explain that he knows "the difference between actual, dangerous intolerance versus these labels that get tossed around in an effort to score political points." Kushner also called Trump an "incredibly loving and tolerant person" who has embraced his family's Jewish faith from day one. "The from-the-heart reactions of this man are instinctively pro-Jewish and pro-Israel," Kushner wrote.
Kushner's response comes after he was called out Tuesday by Jewish Observer writer Dana Schwartz for his lack of public criticism of his father-in-law, who sent out a tweet using what was largely seen as anti-Semitic imagery in reference to Hillary Clinton. Kushner is the publisher of the Observer. You can read his entire essay here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
August 2 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include a tariff self-own, rough times at the Trump golf course, and more
-
5 inexcusably hilarious cartoons about Ghislaine Maxwell angling for a pardon
Cartoons Artists take on the circle of life, Ghislaine's Island, and more
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Trump revives K-12 Presidential Fitness Test
Speed Read The Obama administration phased the test out in 2012, replacing it with a program focused on overall health rather than standardized benchmarks
-
El Salvador scraps term limits, boosting Nayib Bukele
Speed Read New constitutional changes will allow presidents to seek reelection an indefinite number of times
-
Trump assigns tariffs, delays all except on Canada
Speed Read A 35% tariff on many Canadian goods has gone into effect
-
Harris rules out run for California governor
Speed Read The 2024 Democratic presidential nominee ended months of speculation about her plans for the contest
-
Trump sets new tariff rates as deadline nears
Speed Read New tariff rates for South Korea, Brazil and India announced
-
Ghislaine Maxwell: angling for a Trump pardon
Talking Point Convicted sex trafficker's testimony could shed new light on president's links to Jeffrey Epstein
-
Senate confirms Trump loyalist Bove to top court
Speed Read The president's former criminal defense lawyer was narrowly approved to earn a lifetime seat
-
Ghislaine Maxwell offers testimony for immunity
Speed Read The convicted sex trafficker offered to testify to Congress about her relationship with late boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein