Donald Trump’s final campaign advertisement has been heavily criticized this week for having anti-Semitic undertones. The two-minute long ad was released Friday and warns of the dangers of global elitism, using three well-known Jewish people as examples, the Huffington Post reports.
The voiceover in the ad comes from a speech Trump made in October, which was also criticized for anti-Semitic language. The ad features billionaire George Soros, chairwoman of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen, and CEO of Goldman Sachs Lloyd Blankfein, all Jewish, as examples of “those who control the levers of power in Washington.” This plays into a longstanding myth that Jews are secretly controlling the global financial system, the media and more in order to further their own interests.
Donald Trump also repeatedly warns in the ad about the “corrupt political establishment," saying that “the only thing that can stop this corrupt machine is you. The only force strong enough to save our country is us.”
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt released a statement on Twitter on Sunday condemning the advertisement, BuzzFeed News reports.
Our thoughts on the #Trump closing ad. pic.twitter.com/pPUmkY6qdD
— ADL (@ADL_National) November 6, 2016
“Whether intentional or not, the images and rhetoric in this ad touch on subjects that aniti-Semites have used for ages,” the statement read.
Trump’s lawyer Jason Greenblatt told CBSthat the ADL should “focus on real anti-Semitism and hatred” and “shouldn’t find any where none exist.”
This latest news isn’t exactly surprising. Donald Trump has a history of using offensive and insulting language when speaking about women, people of color and immigrants. And the campaign isn't new to anti-Semitism either, accidental or not. While Trump’s language is unfortunately becoming a norm due to his political power, this language has no place in politics.