Trump just flipped Rep. Rashida Tlaib's positive words about Israel into an anti-Semitism accusation

President Trump is right that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is "being slammed" for what she said about the Holocaust. The rest of his interpretation is way off.
On Friday, Tlaib appeared on Yahoo's Skullduggery podcast and discussed how one aspect of the Israeli-Palestianian conflict gave her "a calming feeling ... when I think of the Holocaust," saying that at least Israel became "a safe haven for Jews" after it ended. Yet many Republicans snipped Tlaib's comment after "Holocaust," providing the misleading and incorrect interpretation that Trump shares below.
A look at what Tlaib actually said indicates that Trump is far from correct. She didn't say that the Holocaust gave her "a calming feeling," but rather that she gets that feeling when she thinks about why her "ancestors — Palestinians ... lost their land and some lost their lives." It was all "in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews" as they recovered from the Holocaust and other "horrific persecution," she said. The only problem is that "they did it in a way that took [the Palestianians'] human dignity away," Tlaib finished. In essence, Tlaib is saying she's happy that, if the Palestinians had to lose their land, at least it was for a good reason.
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.
Tlaib issued a statement condemning the spin, which you can read below. Kathryn Krawczyk
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges