The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA )released a response to a series of questions regarding former US President Donald Trump's dinner with antisemities Kanye West and Nick Fuentes at his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago.
The organization had stated on Sunday that it “deplores the fact that President Trump had a friendly dinner with such vile antisemites,” two weeks after it had given Trump the Theodore Herzl Gold Medallion Award, its highest honor.
In response to a question about whether the ZOA still believed Trump deserved the award after meeting with the two antisemites, it stated: "Absolutely, yes. He earned it and deserves it because of his fabulous, unparalleled beneficial policies toward the Jewish State of Israel and toward the Jewish people".
“It’s quite clear that there’s not a hint of antisemitism in President Trump’s actions or beliefs. He clearly loves Israel and the Jewish people.” the organization added.
The ZOA cited his brokering of the Abraham Accords, his moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, his recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and his many acts to combat antisemitism as president in justifying its decision.
In response to a question as to why the ZOA is demanding that Trump condemn West and Fuentes, the organization said: The rapid increase of antisemitism from multiple quarters in the United States is extremely alarming and dangerous. Nick Fuentes is an influential white supremacist, who mocks and denies the Holocaust, accuses Jews of serving the devil, and says “I piss on your Talmud.” Farrakhan-loving Kanye (Ye) West, who has 31 million followers, has a tremendous influence, and endangers Jews when he accused Jews in the entertainment industry of “milking us until we die”; tweeted about going “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” etc.; and then said “I love you” to leading antisemite Louis Farrakhan."
ZOA President Morton A. Klein said that “President Trump must not sully his extraordinary presidential record of pro-Israel actions and combating antisemitism on college campuses and elsewhere by failing to clearly condemn vile antisemites Kanye West and Nick Fuentes.”
The ZOA said that Trump's claim that he did not know who Fuentes was before the dinner was "believable," saying that would have been unexpected for an African American celebrity like Kanye West to bring a white supremacist to dinner.
The ZOA said that Trump's statement that he wished to help West, who has admitted to suffering from bipolar disorder, was not acceptable given the "message" it sends that his antisemitism could be considered acceptable.