Posted on January 21, 2017
“From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first, America first. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs will be made to benefit American workers and American families.”
–President Donald Trump, from his inauguration speech
[ Ed. note – I’m not sure exactly how Trump’s pledge to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem squares exactly with his insistence in his inauguration speech that “every decision” on “foreign affairs” under his administration “will be made to benefit American workers and American families.” The underlying presumption seems to be that Americans have something to gain from a relocation of the embassy and the continued expansion of Israeli settlements–which of course is not true.
Throughout 2016 election campaign we saw Donald Trump the chameleon. He said the Iraq war was started under false pretenses, he has lambasted government elites, and he repeatedly disparaged the media for spreading propaganda. On the other hand, he has accused the Palestinians of teaching their children to hate, vowed to scrap the Iran deal, and talked of moving the embassy. He was also critical of the Obama administration’s abstention on the UN resolution criticizing Israeli settlements, while his appointee for the post of UN ambassador, Nikki Haley, went even further, calling the resolution a “kick in the gut” to Israel.
At some point, I guess, the “real Donald Trump” will begin to step forward. Is he a true populist American patriot? Or is he another Israel-first Washington politician–one perhaps just a little smarter than the run-of-the-mill kind we find in the halls of Congress? It has been impossible, prior to now, for us to know. I hope I am wrong on this, but the article below, published yesterday in a Jewish publication, may provide some indication of where things may be headed. ]
How Avrahm Berkowitz Landed in the West Wing
Avi Berkowitz (L) with Gen. Mike Flynn, Trump’s choice for National Security Advisor
source: Jewish Journal
From a simple game of pickup basketball to a top West Wing position in the Trump White House: For Avrahm (Avi) Berkowitz, an encounter on the court with Jared Kushner at a Passover hotel program in Arizona several years ago has led to a number of unique opportunities. The latest manifestation of this journey was announced Thursday in a Trump press release listing Berkowitz’s new title: Special Assistant to the President and assistant to Senior Advisor Jared Kushner.
When Kushner and Berkowitz first met during a Passover program at the historic Arizona Biltmore Hotel, Berkowitz was attending classes at Queens College. The two kept in touch and when Avi graduated, Kushner hired him to join his family’s real estate company where Berkowitz helped manage the firm’s apartment portfolio.
Leaving Kushner Companies for Harvard Law School, Berkowitz continued his ties to the family by contributing articles to the New York Observer, a Kushner-owned publication. In his writings, Berkowitz railed against “liberal” intolerance, anti-Semitism at Harvard, while also analyzing the state of the private jet industry.
As a member the 2016 Harvard Law School graduating class, Berkowitz intended to join a prestigious New York firm. In the early months of 2016, as Trump and Kushner grew increasingly agitated with their treatment in the press, rumors circulated about the then-candidate’s plans to create a new cable network, to be known as Trump TV. To test the idea, the campaign launched a Facebook Live talk show called Trump Tower Live. Kushner asked Berkowitz to help lead the effort as its Director.
By this time, Berkowitz had accepted an offer to join the law firm Bingham McCutchen in the fall of 2016. In the meantime, he agreed to help out his friend on the campaign. As the election heated up, Berkowitz’s position within Trump World grew. He assumed an additional title as Assistant Director of Data Analytics, working closely with the campaign’s Data Director Brad Parscale, a fellow Kushner recruit. Understanding their soon-to-be associate’s role, Bingham McCutchen allowed Berkowitz to postpone the start of his new job until after the election.
Election Day!
On November 8th, along with many other ramifications, the 27-year-old’s career trajectory changed. Quickly forgetting the thought of becoming a first year associate, Berkowitz was instead headed to DC and, more specifically, to the West Wing of the White House to serve as Kushner’s deputy.
On Thursday, Trump suggested that Kushner would serve as a mediator for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, saying “If [Kushner] can’t produce Middle East peace, nobody can.”
While some reports suggested that Trump and Kushner were annoyed with AIPAC’s apology at its Policy Conference last year (after a number of AIPAC delegates cheered when Trump attacked President Obama, calling him “the worst thing ever to happen to Israel”), the new Administration doesn’t appear to be holding any grudges. In fact, to the contrary, Berkowitz’s first cousin is former AIPAC President Howard Friedman. David Cordish serves on AIPAC’s National Board. His son Reed, also a friend of Kushner, was appointed this week to serve as Assistant to the President for Intragovernmental and Technology Initiatives.
How Trump’s White House and Kushner’s West Wing will operate is anyone’s guess but no one can deny the power of a pickup basketball game. If nothing else, expect to see activity on the White House basketball court come next Passover.
Post navigation
2 thoughts on “When Trump Promises to Put ‘America First,’ Does He Really Mean Israel?”
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!
“You’d be in jail” was followed by “they are nice people, I mean it,” and now making his guests STAND UP AND APPLAUD the ones who should be in jail because he has “a lot of respect for these two people” and he was “very very honored” that they came ….?!!!