Trump: 'I Am the Least Anti-Semitic Person That You've Ever Seen in Your Entire Life'

Lookups spiked after the president said he found a question about rising incidents of anti-Semitism 'very insulting'

Anti-Semitism (“hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group”) became one of our top lookups on the afternoon of February 16th, after the president of the United States said he was "the least anti-Semitic person that you've ever seen in your entire life."

The statement was part of Trump's response to a question about an uptick in bomb threats made against Jewish centers.

To be clear, the question that Trump is angry about from a Jewish reporter about rising incidents of anti-Semitism in America. Trump insisted it was not a “fair” question, said the reporter “lied” and said it would be straightforward, and then claimed that the question was about whether the president is anti-Semitic (it was not the question). The question was about the rise of anti-Semitism under his presidency.
—Maggie Haberman, The New York Times (Live Analysis), 16 Jan. 2017, 1:57 PM

The word has been in use in English since the late 19th century, with our earliest known evidence currently dating from 1880.

Anti-Semitism in Hungary. The Hungarian Stœcker, Herr Istoezy, undeterred by the practical failure of his illustrious prototype, has resolved to take the initiative in arousing public hatred against the Jews in Austro-Hungary.
The Jewish Messenger (New York City, NY), 3 Sept. 1880


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