STATEMENT: Trump’s Antisemitism Executive Order Does Nothing To Keep Jewish Americans Safe, CAP’s Ben Olinsky Says

Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that will restrict free speech in the name of combatting antisemitism in schools. In response, Ben Olinsky, senior vice president for structural reform and governance at the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

This executive order weaponizes antisemitism for political gain. It does nothing to keep Jewish students or any other Americans safe from hate or prevent terrorism, which pose legitimate threats to America’s Jewish communities. Instead, it forsakes education and dialogue while attacking protected political speech. It’s clear that Trump’s real goal is to silence opposing voices, whether they be from pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses, Black Lives Matter marchers, clergy who pray for mercy, or journalists who report news that is critical of him. The right to free speech, protest, and exercise of any religion or none are bedrocks of America and must be protected in our schools and universities.

If President Trump really cared the very real rise in acts of antisemitism, he would start by firing Elon Musk for making what appeared to be a Nazi salute last week. President Trump’s repeated refusal to condemn antisemitism when it comes from his own supporters is helping to enable the troubling rise in antisemitism that we see today.

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