NPR reports:

President Trump campaigned on a pledge to fight antisemitism.

“Antisemitic bigotry has no place in a civilized society,” Trump said at an event in 2024.

However, the president’s critics question whether antisemitism may have found a place within his administration.

NPR has identified three Trump officials with close ties to antisemitic extremists, including a man described by federal prosecutors as a “Nazi sympathizer,” and a prominent Holocaust denier.

The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The Trump administration has used the fight against antisemitism as justification for the deportation of pro-Palestinian student protesters and funding cuts to universities.

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, argues that the administration is using antisemitism as a pretext.

“If the administration were serious about countering antisemitism, first and foremost they wouldn’t be appointing people with antisemitic and other extremist ties to senior roles within the administration,” Spitalnick said.

Paul Ingrassia, currently serving as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, has ties to multiple figures widely known for promoting antisemitism.

In 2023, Ingrassia repeatedly praised the controversial “manosphere” influencer Andrew Tate and worked on his legal team. Romanian authorities have accused Tate of human trafficking. Florida’s attorney general also opened an investigation into Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate. The two men deny all wrongdoing.

The top of Ingrassia’s Instagram page features a pinned photo of himself with Andrew Tate, who describes himself as a “misogynist.”

“The Tate brothers provide an opportunity for a better future – one that inspires, rather than degrades, men,” reads Ingrassia’s caption.

The Anti-Defamation League says that Tate “has leaned heavily into unabashedly antisemitic rhetoric, perpetuating Holocaust revisionism, spreading conspiracy theories about Israel, praising Hamas, performing Nazi salutes and encouraging people to embrace and openly engage in racism.”

Ingrassia was also seen at a June 2024 rally in Detroit led by Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier and white nationalist. [Continue reading…]