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.
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
-
Political cartoons for December 20Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include drowning rats, the ACA, and more
-
5 fairly vain cartoons about Vanity Fair’s interviews with Susie WilesCartoon Artists take on demolition derby, alcoholic personality, and more
-
Joanna Trollope: novelist who had a No. 1 bestseller with The Rector’s WifeIn the Spotlight Trollope found fame with intelligent novels about the dramas and dilemmas of modern women
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
