# Trump's Star of David tweet **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 4, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090 "2016-07-04T19:58:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/41 "2016-07-04T23:50:50Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > He probably had no idea that he tweeted a graphic that had Nazi troops inside the [American flag.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/07/14/donald-trump-tweets-image-of-nazi-soldiers-inside-the-u-s-flag-then-deletes-tweet/) That is so incredibly fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Memnon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Memnon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Memnon)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2016, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/42 "2016-07-04T23:57:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Absolute complete crap. There is no question that that is a Star of David. The only, and I repeat only, time a star like that (without rounded tips in a Western theme) is used in political propaganda is as a Jewish symbol. And it is used like that by Jewish groups and by hate groups alike often. Filled in and not filled in. > > Saying otherwise a thousand times does not make the claim any less absurd and offensive. > > Even Trump is not so stupid as to not recognize it. Oh, cut the crap. Type ‘Star of David’ into a Google image search and see what comes up. A Star of David is almost never filled in. Why is this one filled in? A Star of David is typically comprised of two clearly delineated overlapping triangles. Why isn’t this one? A Star of David is never tilted. Why is this one tilted? And why would some random anti-semite on the internet bother to be coy? If, as you’d have us believe, this poster was created by anti-semites for anti-semites, why didn’t the creator just swipe the Star of David straight off the Israeli flag? Your comparison is fatuous, and you know it. People see big red letter A symbols _everywhere_. They don’t see filled-in, non-hexagrammic, rotated Stars of David everywhere. Why? _Because no-one fucking uses them!_ Besides, even if we knew for a cast-iron certainty that the image’s creator _had_ intended the star to be an anti-semitic dog-whistle, what the hell does Trump have to gain by tweeting it? Most of Trump’s supporters are pro-Israel. _Trump_ is pro-Israel. Fuck, [Israel is pro-Trump](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/donald-trump-israel-2016-netanyahu-213748). Seriously, _why_ would he do this? Your entire argument consists of stamping your feet and whining that Trump just _has_ to be an anti-semite because he’s Trump. Reason be damned. Trump’s policy positions be damned. The principles of _basic graphic design_ be fucking damned! It’s pathetic. You want to believe Trump is an asshole and a bigot. Fine. You’ve got about five hundred different reasons. This isn’t one of them. Get over it. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/43 "2016-07-05T00:03:50Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Oh, cut the crap. Type ‘Star of David’ into a Google image search and see what comes up. A Star of David is almost never filled in. Why is this one filled in? A Star of David is typically comprised of two clearly delineated overlapping triangles. Why isn’t this one? A Star of David is never tilted. Why is this one tilted? And why would some random anti-semite on the internet bother to be coy? If, as you’d have us believe, this poster was created by anti-semites for anti-semites, why didn’t the creator just swipe the Star of David straight off the Israeli flag? > > Your comparison is fatuous, and you know it. People see big red letter A symbols _everywhere_. They don’t see filled-in, non-hexagrammic, rotated Stars of David everywhere. Why? _Because no-one fucking uses them!_ > > Besides, even if we knew for a cast-iron certainty that the image’s creator _had_ intended the star to be an anti-semitic dog-whistle, what the hell does Trump have to gain by tweeting it? Most of Trump’s supporters are pro-Israel. _Trump_ is pro-Israel. Fuck, [Israel is pro-Trump](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/donald-trump-israel-2016-netanyahu-213748). Seriously, _why_ would he do this? > > Your entire argument consists of stamping your feet and whining that Trump just _has_ to be an anti-semite because he’s Trump. Reason be damned. Trump’s policy positions be damned. The principles of _basic graphic design_ be fucking damned! It’s pathetic. You want to believe Trump is an asshole and a bigot. Fine. You’ve got about five hundred different reasons. This isn’t one of them. Get over it. As I pointed out in my post, Microsoft Word clip art calls that filled image (stock is in blue, however) a Star of David. The image is named FilledStarofDavid and comes up in a clip art search for “star of David” - I am using Word 2010, so I can’t vouch for other versions. ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/44 "2016-07-05T00:06:22Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Oh, cut the crap. Type ‘Star of David’ into a Google image search and see what comes up. A Star of David is almost never filled in. Why is this one filled in? A Star of David is typically comprised of two clearly delineated overlapping triangles. Why isn’t this one? A Star of David is never tilted. Why is this one tilted? It turns out bigots usually aren’t sticklers for details. Tilted, filled in, have your pick.[https://mbalter.wikispaces.com/Star+of+David](https://mbalter.wikispaces.com/Star+of+David) ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/45 "2016-07-05T00:22:56Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Oh, cut the crap. Type ‘Star of David’ into a Google image search and see what comes up. A Star of David is almost never filled in. Why is this one filled in? A Star of David is typically comprised of two clearly delineated overlapping triangles. Why isn’t this one? A Star of David is never tilted. Why is this one tilted? As it turns out I also do work as a graphics artist and notice that **raventhief** points out that: > [@](#): > > that image(in blue) is listed in MS Word’s clip art as “FilledStarofDavid”. And then I have to rely here on my experience with computer graphics, when political or throwaway graphics in a personal blog or for places like 8chan, not reinventing the wheel is important. If Photoshop or Gimp was used clip art is the place to go for basic shapes like that one. Knowing before hand that the star will be filled in with text it is important that the star to be used to be already filled with a basic color, and it can then be changed to any color you want. The tilt of the star is explained simply as an artistic move, made after the text was added. So that is for the inane questions, what I do think is important is that even if the star chosen was not the six pointed filled star of David the source of the anti-semite tweet is what should be the most important factor in this issue. For if that was not the case I would also agree that “meh” should be the appropriate reply, but not after we learned about the source. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/46 "2016-07-05T00:27:02Z")
I think there is too much a resemblance between the Trump image and the star worn by Jews in Nazi Germany. The implicit message is “We won’t be afraid to go after our enemies if you put us in power.” ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/47 "2016-07-05T00:27:59Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Oh, cut the crap. Type ‘Star of David’ into a Google image search and see what comes up. A Star of David is almost never filled in. Why is this one filled in? A Star of David is typically comprised of two clearly delineated overlapping triangles. Why isn’t this one? A Star of David is never tilted. Why is this one tilted? And why would some random anti-semite on the internet bother to be coy? **If, as you’d have us believe, this poster was created by anti-semites for anti-semites, why didn’t the creator just swipe the Star of David straight off the Israeli flag**? > > Your comparison is fatuous, and you know it. People see big red letter A symbols _everywhere_. They don’t see filled-in, non-hexagrammic, rotated Stars of David everywhere. Why? _Because no-one fucking uses them!_ > > **Besides, even if we knew for a cast-iron certainty that the image’s creator _had_ intended the star to be an anti-semitic dog-whistle**. Umm… the image came from an anti-Semitic white power source. Are you seriously trying to argue the creator wasn’t intending for it to be seen as a Star of David? If so, what was it supposed to be? Was he trying to prove Hillary Clinton was controlled by some evil sheriff in Wyoming? Even Donald Trump and his flunkies haven’t tried to make that case. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/48 "2016-07-05T00:29:27Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think there is too much a resemblance between the Trump image and the star worn by Jews in Nazi Germany. The implicit message is “We won’t be afraid to go after our enemies if you put us in power.” More like, “Hillary is controlled by the Jews!” ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/49 "2016-07-05T00:37:32Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Oh, cut the crap. … Can your bullshit. When you want to put writing inside the star you fill it in - like [this](http://www.canstockphoto.com/happy-hanukkah-letteringdavid-star-32217529.html) and [this](https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/jewish-icons-vector-333179) - or an image inside too, like [this](http://www.fotosearch.com/CSP169/k18413049/) - or sometimes just for being stylized, like [this](http://jewishinfographics.com/category/jewish-info-graphics/). Oh but the neo-Nazi _tilted_ the star and the writing inside it! Of course, unrecognizable now! Of course the hate groups never use a filled in Star of David. Never. ([Post 6](https://www.stormfront.org/forum/t403685/) but waning it is a Stormfront thread.) Really, [never](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbitchtopia.files.wordpress.com%2F2014%2F03%2Fimg.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fbitchtopia.com%2F2014%2F03%2F07%2Fpeople-in-the-world-still-hate-jews%2F&docid=c7I73URpqESlQM&tbnid=0mkFG9F-uGa_aM%3A&w=500&h=340&safe=off&bih=878&biw=1920&ved=0ahUKEwjkoOHfh9vNAhWEph4KHeFZCuEQxiAIAg&iact=c&ictx=1). 2 out of 9 of the countries’ [yellow stars in HaShoah](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/161777811584827567/) were filled in Jewish Stars … I guess in those Jews were lucky and no one knew they were Jewish as no one could recognize what the stars meant! What crap. Again, I do not believe that Jews are Trump’s explicit Other of choice, for many reasons. But when you sift through the sewers of hate group’s for your material and your troops you’ll end up posting all kinds of shit that you did mean to actually say. And he does intentionally facilitate it. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/50 "2016-07-05T01:02:11Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > You want to believe Trump is an asshole and a bigot. Fine. You’ve got about five hundred different reasons. This isn’t one of them. Get over it. But if the poster has five hundred different reasons for believing that Trump is an asshole and a bigot (your words), then is it out of the realm of reason to believe that a Star of David that was tweeted from his account could be anti-semitic? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/51 "2016-07-05T01:06:36Z")
Link broken, because it goes to a white supremacist site called The Daily Stormer: [http://www](http://www) (dot) dailystormer (dot) com/glorious-leader-tweets-hillary-image-with-dollars-and-jew-star/ The article says Trump is signaling his real intentions to his “real supporters”, the white supremacists. The writer even approvingly calls it a dog whistle for white supremacists. The writer is absolutely convinced that Trump is only paying lip service to Israel and is really just waiting to roll out his real anti-Jewish agenda. The Trump campaign got the graphic from a white power site, and the white supremacists got the message. Maybe that site is parody. I don’t know. I can’t tell anymore. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/52 "2016-07-05T01:11:46Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > There are three big problems with this theory: > > 1. The star, for the hundredth time, doesn’t look like a Star of David. A Star of David typically isn’t filled in. This one is. [You mean like these are?](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/08/27/1409162242711_Image_galleryImage_Mandatory_Credit_Photo_by.JPG) While the SoD most often takes the form of two overlapping triangles, in its most oppressive usage, it didn’t. So stop acting like this a disqualifying characteristic. > [@](#): > > I can understand why a politician might use loaded symbols but why would a random anti-semite on the internet do so? Why didn’t he just use an actual Star of David? Why gosh, I dunno. Why dontcha ask one? And while you’re at it, why don’t you ask the Nazis why they didn’t just subject the Jews to efficient firing squads rather than spending all that money and time on building housing and elaborate gas chambers for them? I mean, how stupid is it to do all of that for people you’re just going to kill anyway, right? Racists aren’t known for being infallibly rational. > [@](#): > > 1. Trump’s base may be anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim, but they are also staunchly pro-Israel. Trump has literally nothing to gain by baiting the Jews. You can be pro-Israel for geopolitical reasons (e.g. oil and national security interest) and still see Jews as vile beings. > [@](#): > > 1. Trump has spent the last six months coasting on free publicity. He has no problem getting attention. The guy’s clickbait gold. All he has to do is click his fingers and every reporter in a fifty mile radius is guaranteed to come running. This has been consistently true throughout the campaign. He has no need to gin up publicity by posting cryptic anti-semitic dogwhistles on twitter, especially since his base, by and large, actually _like_ Jews. Using this logic, there would be no reason for him to do anything; he could stop actively campaigning and coast along until November simply by “clicking his fingers”. But he’s not stupid. He knows he has to keep upping the ante to get noticed. That means doing and saying scandalous things that tickle his base and reinforce his pro-white male image. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/53 "2016-07-05T01:12:41Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Oh, cut the crap. \*\* > [@DSeid](#): > > Can your bullshit. Back off, both of you. Stick to the discussion and leave the personal sniping out of it. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/54 "2016-07-05T01:15:28Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Maybe that site is parody. I don’t know. I can’t tell anymore. [I don’t \*think \* so…but it is hard to believe it’s serious](https://en.wikip.edia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Stormer) ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/55 "2016-07-05T02:08:28Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Umm… the image came from an anti-Semitic white power source. Are you seriously trying to argue the creator wasn’t intending for it to be seen as a Star of David? Seriously. You could argue that the Trump campaign was dumb and didn’t realize what they were tweeting, but once we know that the source of the original image absolutely intended this to be a Star of David, the fact that they made a bad one doesn’t mitigate that it was obviously intended to be a Star of David. It’s like using a noose image that you get from a white supremacist site and then trying to still claim that you intended it to be a lasso. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/56 "2016-07-05T03:30:30Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > Besides, even if we knew for a cast-iron certainty that the image’s creator _had_ intended the star to be an anti-semitic dog-whistle, what the hell does Trump have to gain by tweeting it? Most of Trump’s supporters are pro-Israel. _Trump_ is pro-Israel. Fuck, [Israel is pro-Trump](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/donald-trump-israel-2016-netanyahu-213748). Seriously, _why_ would he do this? I have met plenty of people who are pro-Israel, and extremely antisemitic. They are called Fundamentalist Christians (I know, Not Every Christian, but a large percentage I’ve known.) They love Israel, because it needs to exist in order for the End Times to occur. But they hate the (Pick your choice of slurs for someone of Jewish background.) because they killed Jesus. And of course, there are only 144,000 righteous ones, because it says so in the Bible. So it’s okay to hate the others. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/57 "2016-07-05T03:48:28Z")
> [@Lok](#): > > I have met plenty of people who are pro-Israel, and extremely antisemitic. They are called Fundamentalist Christians (I know, Not Every Christian, but a large percentage I’ve known.) They love Israel, because it needs to exist in order for the End Times to occur. But they hate the (Pick your choice of slurs for someone of Jewish background.) because they killed Jesus. > > And of course, there are only 144,000 righteous ones, because it says so in the Bible. So it’s okay to hate the others. The kind of Christians you’re talking about are Evangelical Protestants and I don’t think most of Trump supporters are Evangelical Protestants. If anything, they’re more likely to be blue collar Catholics who go to Church maybe twice a year. His base is the angry white working class not Evangelical types. The latter aren’t even big fans of him. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/58 "2016-07-05T03:50:20Z")
I think what’s most likely is: 1. The guy who made the original image intended anti-Semitic connections. 2. Trump, or somebody from his campaign, found the image, thought, “Cool, attack on Hillary”, and posted it to twitter, not necessarily knowing or caring about the source. 3. When it was pointed out, the Trump campaign changes the star to a circle, because, “Hey, where ever it comes from, attack on Hillary!”, and, as they always do, rather than admit they screwed up, because they see that as a sign of weakness, go on the attack. I don’t think the thing here is that Trump is anti-Semitic. I think the thing is that Trump has very little in the way of campaign staff or organization, so they don’t do stuff in an organized way, and they don’t check their stuff before they do anything with it. It’s a scattershot thing…they throw enough stuff out there, something sticks, but it’s not professional yet. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/59 "2016-07-05T04:10:47Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > The kind of Christians you’re talking about are Evangelical Protestants and I don’t think most of Trump supporters are Evangelical Protestants. If anything, they’re more likely to be blue collar Catholics who go to Church maybe twice a year. > > His base is the angry white working class not Evangelical types. The latter aren’t even big fans of him. No, the type of Christians Lok’s talking about are the Fundamentalists-- as he said-- not necessary Evangelical Protestants. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090/60 "2016-07-05T04:30:44Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > No, the type of Christians Lok’s talking about are the Fundamentalists-- as he said-- not necessary Evangelical Protestants. End Times types are rarely Catholic and they’re almost always Evangelical. Anyway, most of Trump’s supporters are the hard core Christian type. Those guys were supporters of Cruz. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-star-of-david-tweet/759090.md?page=4)