SomeofmyJewishfriendsvotedTrump.
“DEAR Americans,” the post on my Facebook wall began. “Go ahead, vote for the guy with the loud voice who hates minorities, threatens to imprison his opponents, doesn’t give a f**k about democracy, and claims he alone can fix everything. What could possibly go wrong…? Good luck.” Signed: “The people of Germany.”
As an American Jew living in Berlin since 1997, I have a special fondness for my deeply principled German friends. Usually, they avoid comparing modern politicians to Adolf Hitler. And it’s right they do. It’s especially unseemly when Germans relativise the Shoah.
But this ironic Facebook post rings true. The thought of a Donald Trump presidency makes me sick with worry.
I know — as an observer of politics, culture and society in Germany — that the far-right is waiting to catch a ride on a populist wave. Brexit should have been a warning. Mr Trump has tapped into legitimate fears and long-time resentments of some Americans and, yes, their desire for a better life. At the same time, he is sending a message to the likes of Timothy McVeigh and David Duke that it’s OK to come out now.
Strangely, this does not surprise me. Especially since the US Supreme Court had to resolve our disputed 2000 presidential election, I’ve felt a deepening divide in the USA. Admired by Trump: Putin But what does surprise me is that some friends and family, including those who say “never again”, supported a man who speaks of jailing his opponents, of not accepting the election results unless he wins, of punishing women who have abortions, of planning mass deportations. A man who admires Vladimir Putin and other demagogues. Who spent years claiming that our first African American president, Barack Obama, was not born in America, and who recently spent mere seconds reversing that claim, with no apology. A man whose slogan, “Make America Great Again”, implies that this country — where people of all backgrounds can succeed, as our own ancestors did — is not great any more. Did Trump really