Trump supporters chant “Genocide Joe” during a campaign speech. The ex-president agrees with the criticism of Israel - contrary to his previous position.
Schnecksville – During a campaign speech by Donald Trump in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, some audience members spontaneously chanted “Genocide Joe” and Trump agreed. This means something like “Genocide Joe” and is directed against Joe Biden. Trump didn't seem to know how to react at first, because he stopped himself mid-sentence, took a step next to his microphone and commented quietly: "They're not wrong, they're not wrong." Then he turned to his singing supporters Um, he was met with cheers and finally Trump said again directly into the microphone: “You’re not wrong, you’re not wrong. He did everything wrong.”
In doing so, the ex-president's fans took up a slogan that has been heard more frequently from pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the USA in recent months and which actually refers to the Gaza war. The spicy thing: Trump's election campaign speech in Schnecksville took place a few hours after Iran's major attack on Israel and the denigration of Biden also implicitly includes serious criticism of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza. The prerequisite for defaming Biden as “Genocide Joe” is to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza.
“Genocide Joe”: Trump not only agrees with criticism of Biden, but also of Israel
Donald Trump has always presented himself as a supporter of Israel. His Republican Party also largely agrees - unlike with regard to aid for Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia - that Israel must be supported with weapons and money. If Trump adopts the position critical of Israel, it could cost him a lot of sympathy in the conservative camp.
As far as the upcoming US presidential election is concerned, Biden in particular has had to worry so far: The two overlapping groups of Muslim and Arab Americans have always leaned towards the Democrats. Now the president is faced with ongoing protests from members of these groups, but also from other young and liberal voters. Biden's speeches and those of his Vice President Kamala Harris have been interrupted several times by shouts of "Genocide Joe" or "Free Palestine" from the audience.
Arab Americans are dissatisfied with Biden's Gaza policy
According to ABC News,
the swing state of Michigan is home
to the largest Arab minority in the USA. There, the Gaza war may have already had an impact on the Democratic primary: The
Washington Post
reported that Democratic congressman Ro Khanna said 75 percent of the state's Democratic-leaning Arab residents voted "uncommitted" for their party. This means that they supported the party, but not explicitly the candidate Joe Biden. Khanna sees this as a criticism of the president's Middle East policy.
Looking at the audience at Trump's speech in Schnecksville, you'll notice that many in the audience seemed confused by the "Genocide Joe" chant. As visitors to the ex-president's campaign events, they are probably used to a variety of chants - especially "Stop the Steal" in reference to the supposedly stolen 2020 election. This time, however, the majority did not join in. Instead, only a small group, immediately to the right of Trump in the video, appears to have been singing.
However, that does not change the fact that Trump agreed with the message being conveyed. The rest of his speech was less far-reaching but just as ill-considered: he called the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War with over 40,000 dead “beautiful.” “Gettysburg, what an incredible battle,” said Trump. “It was so much and so interesting and so brutal and so terrible and so beautiful in so many different ways – it embodied so much of our country’s success,” he continued.