President Trump went on Twitter on Wednesday to quote a conservative radio host and known conspiracy theorist who praised him as “the greatest President for Jews” and claimed that Israelis “love him like he is the second coming of God.”
Root has promoted numerous conspiracy theories, including that former president Barack Obama was not born in the United States, that Democratic National Committee staff member Seth Rich was killed by any one of a number of prominent Democrats, that a mass shooting in Las Vegas was coordinated by Muslims and that the person responsible for the death of Heather Heyer at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville was paid by a wealthy Democrat.
Root has also been leading an effort to persuade Jews to leave the Democratic Party and support Trump, whom he has previously called the first Jewish president in the same sense the Bill Clinton was sometimes called the first black president.
Trump’s tweets quoting Root came a day after he prompted an outcry by contending that Jewish people who vote for Democrats are showing “either a total lack of knowledge or great disloyalty.”
In his Wednesday morning tweets, Trump quoted Root saying, “President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world . . . and the Jewish people in Israel love him like he’s the King of Israel.”
“They love him like he is the second coming of God,” Trump quoted Root as saying.
Jews do not believe in a second coming.
“But American Jews don’t know him or like him,” Root continued, according to Trump’s tweets. “They don’t even know what they’re doing or saying anymore. It makes no sense! But that’s OK, if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s good for all Jews, Blacks, Gays, everyone. And importantly, he’s good for everyone in America who wants a job.”
In his own words, Trump added: “Wow!”
Root’s comments came from a broadcast Tuesday night by Newsmax, in which he also lamented that “75 percent of all Jews vote Democrat.”
The tweets quoting Root came amid a spate of other tweets from the president on Wednesday morning, including one in which he claimed, without citing evidence, that media outlets are seeking to hurt the economy on his watch.
“The Fake News LameStream Media is doing everything possible the ‘create’ a U.S. recession, even though the numbers & facts are working totally in the opposite direction,” Trump wrote. “They would be willing to hurt many people, but that doesn’t matter to them. Our Economy is sooo strong, sorry!”
Few economists think the country is in a recession, but most say it is slowing, and White House officials fear that a weak economy in 2020 could impair Trump’s reelection chances.
On Tuesday, Trump confirmed that he is considering whether to push for a temporary payroll tax cut or other tax changes amid mounting concerns about a slowdown.