MAGA hardliner and Trump fluffer, Tom Cotton, joined Jake Tapper on State of the Union on Sunday morning and to say that the interview went sideways would be an understatement. Outside of the fully expected “Trump is normal, nothing he says or does is bad” bs, Cotton actually had the gall to accuse Kamala Harris (who is married to a Jew!) of being ANTISEMITIC!
Tapper teed up the exchange by playing the horrific “blood libel” threat Trump made late last week while speaking at an event TO JEWS ABOUT ANTISEMITISM where he suggested that if he loses, it will be the fault of THE JEWS!
TRUMP: Any Jewish person that votes for her, especially now, her or the Democrat Party, should be able to have their head examined. If I don’t win this election — and I’ve been very good. You know, they say Trump’s been right about everything. In my opinion, the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss.
Tapper then asks Cotton how he feels:
TAPPER: Are you comfortable with that, with Donald Trump saying, if he loses, preemptively it’s the fault of the Jews, a group already experiencing a rise of antisemitism in this country, from the left and the right, but still, preemptively, it’s the fault of the Jews?
COTTON: Well Jake, Donald Trump has been saying things like this for at least 11 months since the October 7 attacks.
Tapper pushed back and really tried to get Cotton to say something, anything, about Trump. But he refused. Just smirked and double talked, per usual. And then the old trope – that ALL Jews need to support Israel, which is a huge sticking point. As a Jew, I can tell you that not all American Jews support Israel. We are a different group. Not all Jews are the same. Not all Israelis are the same. To assume that American Jews owe Republicans anything because of their support for Israel just shows how confused the Republicans are and how misplaced their demand for loyalty truly is.
TAPPER: But I’m not talking about Israel. I’m talking about American Jewish voters. The American Jewish Committee said — quote — “Whoever a majority of the Jewish community votes for, Jews, roughly 2 percent of the U.S. population, cannot and should not be blamed for the outcome of the election. Setting up anyone to say we lost because of the Jews is outrageous and dangerous. Thousands of years of history have shown that scapegoating Jews can lead to antisemitic hate and violence.” That’s the nonpartisan American Jewish Committee. I have never heard you say anything like that: If we lose, it will be the fault of the Jews.
COTTON: But, Jake, Donald Trump, again, has been saying for months that anyone who cares about Israel, anyone who cares about the fate of the U.S.-Israel alliance should vote for him, they shouldn’t vote for Kamala Harris, because Kamala Harris has consistently been the most anti-Israel voice in this administration.
TAPPER: You keep talking about Israel. I’m talking about Jewish voters who vote for any number of reasons on any number of issues.
Then Tapper really reached his breaking point:
TAPPER: Her husband is Jewish and holds — and is in charge of a group combating — about combating antisemitism in the United States.
COTTON: But she’s consistently been opposed to what Israel needs to win.
TAPPER: Again, I keep talking about Jewish voters in the United States and you keep talking about another country.
And then, MARK ROBINSON. Boom. And, as expected. Cotton couldn’t even find a way to say anything negative other than the allegations are “concerning.” Not IF TRUE, THIS IS INEXCUSABLE. Not calling for him to drop out. NOTHING.
TAPPER: But you know what? When I was watching the Republican National Convention, I heard Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson speak. And Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, who is your party’s nominee for governor in North Carolina, he has been saying antisemitic things for years, for years. He said that the movie “Black Panther” — this is on his own Facebook under his own name — the movie “Black Panther,” created — a character created by two Jewish comic book writers — was — quote — “created to pull the shekels out of your Schvartze pockets by Jews.
And then in the last week, we have heard that he actually was in the past posting on a porn site calling himself a black Nazi, praising “Mein Kampf,” saying that Adolf Hitler would have been better than Barack Obama. That is your party’s nominee for governor in North Carolina, who has been antisemitic for years. Do you like him? You think he should be the next governor of North Carolina?
COTTON: Look, I have seen these allegations, Jake, and they’re concerning allegations. He owes the people of North Carolina…
TAPPER: The shekels thing was under his name on his Facebook page.
COTTON: He owes the people of North Carolina more answers about it.
TAPPER: Do you think that Trump should still support Mark Robinson in North Carolina?
COTTON: I will leave that to President Trump. And, most importantly, I will leave it to the people of North Carolina. That is one state.
Tim Cotton: Spineless, pathetic, liar. Perfect mouthpiece for the insanely deplorable 2024 Republican Party.
