Last year, the world was introduced to the word “Barbenheimer,” which blended the names of the two films released on July 21, 2023 — “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” — that both went on to become blockbusters.
Years before the blending of those movie titles, we had the blending of two political names reviled by the left: former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Two leaders who have managed to warp and, in some cases, seemingly break the minds of some on the left solely because of their very existence.
It is an affliction I have called “Trumpanyahu Derangement Syndrome.” Not only is it seemingly a very real mental health issue, but one that could very well end up destroying two nations.
As I have stressed in the past, over the last number of decades, the left in the United States has managed to gain majority control — via indifference from the right and discrimination by the left — over what I call the “five major megaphones” of our nation: the media, academia, entertainment, science and medicine.
It is a progression that has also played out in a number of nations, one of them being Israel.
In June 2015, many from the left who control the megaphones that influence almost every person in our country suddenly found a common enemy in the guise of a man riding down an escalator at Trump Tower to announce that he was running for president as a Republican. Quite shockingly, the anger, hate and attacks were not only instantaneous, but soon became unhinged.
Why? Well, in Trump’s case, many believed it was because he could not be controlled by the entrenched elites in D.C. or the elites holding the five megaphones. And if he could not be controlled, he had to be defined and destroyed.
Following that realization came the “investigations” and charges created and sanctioned — as many on the right believe — by operatives in the Deep State. They got a huge assist from the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Obama White House, which gave us the fake Russian dossier; the Mueller investigation which ultimately came up with nothing; the supposedly “scandalous” call with the leader of Ukraine; impeachment number one; impeachment number two; the FBI’s armed raid on Trump’s home in Florida; the weaponization of the law and multiple “lawfare” charges being brought against Trump; and much more.
These were all dutifully echoed and amplified on the left by all five megaphones. Almost none attacked Trump’s policies — just him personally.
Flash back to Israel in 2022. Many on the far-left in that nation, who populate Israel’s “five megaphones,” were also relentlessly attacking Netanyahu. While attacking him, some were also busy behind the scenes organizing massive street protests against him.
Years ago, while at the Pentagon, I got to work with members of the Israeli Defense Force. Not only did I stay in touch with them, but also with Jewish friends who have moved to Israel. A few months before the barbaric attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, I reached out to some of those friends to say that the poisonous partisan politics I was witnessing in their country seemed to be creating a distraction for terrorists to strike.
All of that is to ask: Is the still-growing irrational hatred of Trump and Netanyahu by many on the left further opening up Israel and the U.S. to greater risk?
Sure, hate on Trump and Netanyahu all you want. But can any of their warnings and policies still be correct and in the best interests of both nations?
Tens of millions of Americans believe Trump is correct when he warns of the damage to our nation from millions of illegal immigrants — and potentially hundreds of terrorists — flowing across our southern border; that he is correct about being on the edge of World War III because of the war between Russia and Ukraine; that he is correct that our inner cities are crumbling and ignored; that inflation is destroying the family budget and forcing too many Americans to choose one need over another; and that crime is spreading across the nation.
But just because it is Trump speaking about those truths that place our nation and its citizens at risk, many on the left ignore or deny the warnings while smearing the messenger. But at what eventual cost to their own lives and wellbeing?
Speaking of Trump and Netanyahu, they just recently met at Trump’s home in Florida. Trump spoke of how “disrespectful” Vice President Kamala Harris was for refusing to attend Netanyahu’s address to a Joint Session of Congress and for stating she “will not be silent” as Israel seeks to defend itself against a terrorist organization that hides behind civilians.
Netanyahu, seated across the table from Trump, then seemingly implied that Harris may have damaged a pending U.S.-backed cease-fire plan with her negative comments. Said Netanyahu: “We’re trying to get [a cease-fire deal] and I think to the extent that Hamas understands that there’s no daylight between Israel and the United States, that expedites the deal. And I would hope that those comments don’t change that.”
Trump and Netanyahu. Two leaders truly, continually and increasingly hated by many on the left in both nations.
Is that irrational hate proving to be a distraction? Does it give aid and comfort to our enemies? Could it contribute to the fall of Israel and the U.S.? Time will tell.
Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.