Trump Slammed by Jewish Group Over ‘America First’ Slogan
— -- Donald Trump is being criticized by the Anti-Defamation League for repeating a slogan the group believes to be anti-Semitic.
The ADL has taken issue with Trump's use of the phrase "America First" to describe his approach to foreign policy.
The phrase was originally used by a group called the America First Committee in the 1940s, which pushed to keep the U.S. out of World War II.
The ADL released a statement Thursday saying that famed aviator Charles Lindbergh, one of the best-known supporters of the committee, sympathized with the Nazis.
"The undercurrents of anti-Semitism and bigotry that characterized the America First movement – including the assumption that Jews who opposed the movement had their own agenda and were not acting in America’s best interest – is fortunately not a major concern today," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.
"However, for many Americans, the term ‘America First’ will always be associated with and tainted by this history. In a political season that already has prompted a national conversation about civility and tolerance, choosing a call to action historically associated with incivility and intolerance seems ill-advised," Greenblatt continued.
The group said it wrote a letter to Trump urging him to stop using the phrase.
Trump has not publicly commented on ADL's request.
This is not the first time ADL and Trump have clashed.
In March, ADL decided to redirect all of the $56,000 in donations Trump previously gave to the Jewish civil rights-human relations organization, citing the "stereotyping and scapegoating that have been injected into this political season," Greenblatt said at the time.
