Trump voters and Ukraine: Ukraine's top rabbi explains what's behind skepticism
Photo: Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Reuven Azman (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The Chief Rabbi of Kyiv explained why some American voters, including Donald Trump's supporters, are skeptical of Ukraine. The reason lies not in sympathy for Russia, but in the political context within the United States, Moshe Reuven Azman says in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.
While talking about the reasons for anti-Ukrainian sentiments among American citizens, in particular supporters of the Republican Party, the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv explained why some of them may be skeptical of Ukraine.
"Let me explain. Try to understand the thoughts of another person — how would you act in their place? Imagine you're a voter of Donald Trump, a supporter of the Republican Party of Donald Trump, or Trump himself. You’ve had nothing bad associated with Ukraine, in principle. But there's hatred, the Democrats are fighting you — I'm not saying who is good or bad, just facts. They are fighting against you; they want to imprison you. All the mainstream media are hating on you, plus this impeachment, which was connected to Ukraine — everything is about Ukraine, everything circles around Ukraine," he said.
The rabbi emphasized that in such a situation, Trump's voters may begin to perceive Ukraine as a source of problems. For many supporters of the US president, the situation looks like Democrats are trying to harm Trump through Ukraine.
"He has kids, and imagine: here’s this Ukraine, because of which your father has problems — maybe Ukraine itself is not to blame, but the Democrats are trying to come up with something about Trump through Ukraine. So the voters look at Ukraine, and they get the impression that Ukraine equals the Democrats, that it’s a stronghold of the Democratic Party, that elections will be lost because of Ukraine," he added.
The rabbi emphasized that this is not a matter of sympathy for Russia. According to him, many Republicans remain critical of Russia because it positions itself as the successor to the Soviet Union.
"But it’s not the thing that they are for Russia. Ronald Reagan, a famous Republican president who is an icon for many, dismantled the Soviet Union. They are against the Soviet Union, and Russia positions itself as the heir to the Soviet Union. So, they can’t be for Russia," summarized the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv.
Read more of Moshe Azman's statements in his interview with RBC-Ukraine.
