According to the legend of the Golem of Prague, Rabbi Judah Loew, known as the Maharal of Prague, breathed life into a giant being he fashioned from clay to protect the Jewish community from those who spread blood libels. Eventually, the golem lost control and went on a rampage through the city, until the rabbi was forced to dismantle it.

US President Donald Trump is a golem of his own making, who rampages and destroys institutions and norms in the US under the pretence of fighting antisemitism and blood libels. Rather than genuinely addressing the growing threat of antisemitism in the US and beyond, he is laying the groundwork for a surge of antisemitism that will be extremely difficult to control. The world of post-truth and the absence of facts that he creates is precisely what antisemitism feeds on.

Antisemitism is unique among forms of racism because at its core lies a conspiracy theory claiming a Jewish plot for control or destruction. Rooted in such conspiracies, antisemitism is highly shapeshifting – allowing Jews to be blamed for a wide range of issues, even contradictory ones. It seems that the antisemites were centuries ahead of artificial intelligence, which now allows the public to quickly and easily get answers to complex questions: no matter what the question is – the answer, for them, is always the same. If there were an “antisemitic chatbot,” it would respond to every public confusion or unusual event with a Jewish conspiracy.

While antisemitism has long served regimes and public figures as a convenient tool to rally the public and excuse their own failures, it also provides an accessible outlet for individuals who are angry, frustrated, or struggling to make sense of the world around them. This is why, throughout history, Jews have been blamed for plagues, disasters, wars, revolutions, and accused of controlling the economy, politics, local and international institutions, and the media.

President Trump is helping to create a world of post-truth and absence of facts through three key strategies. The first is a sustained campaign against the administrative independence and academic freedom of higher education and research institutions in the US. Historically, authoritarian leaders have viewed universities as hubs of dissent – targeting faculty members and students with repression and, at times, even shutting down campuses. But Trump's approach is broader and more insidious. It is not merely about silencing personal critics; it is a fundamental attack on the very legitimacy of higher education and research institutions as a cornerstone of identifying and analysing facts, knowledge, and critical thinking in democratic society.

The second strategy is Trump’s relentless campaign against the media. He does not merely target individual journalists or specific outlets; rather, he launches a broader assault on the institution of journalism itself, undermining its fundamental role in fact-finding and editorial oversight. In this campaign, the press is portrayed as an out-of-touch elite – depicted not only as “the enemy of the people,” but also as an unelected force conspiring to shape and manipulate public consciousness. In place of traditional journalism, the authority to define “truth” is handed over to anyone with a social media account – especially online influencers, with Trump himself among the most prominent.

The third strategy is President Trump’s effort to weaken and dismantle democratic institutions in the United States, including the dismissal or silencing of professionals within the federal government. Rather than upholding the rule of law, grounding decisions in factual and legal analysis, and consulting subject-matter experts, the Trump administration has become defined by politicisation and arbitrary governance. Across federal agencies and departments, loyalty to the president increasingly takes precedence over expertise, experience, and a commitment to democratic norms. In this regard, Trump has not invented anything new; he is simply following in the footsteps of other authoritarian leaders. However, when a US president behaves in this way, the impact is global. It sends a signal of legitimacy to other leaders around the world, effectively granting them permission to do the same.

In the absence of facts – when the public loses trust in universities and the press and is governed by an administration that operates arbitrarily – a fertile ground is created for antisemitic conspiracy theories. This environment can be readily exploited by influencers and politicians to advance themselves and their ideologies, or to distract from real issues – including problems for which they themselves are responsible.

Throughout history, Jewish communities have sought to fend off pogroms, boycotts, and social exclusion by confronting conspiracy theories and debunking blood libels. Against the backdrop of this struggle, the legend of the Golem of Prague became popular – a symbol of the desperate need to protect a community under threat. In the world being shaped by President Trump, that task is becoming increasingly difficult – and at times, nearly impossible.

Therefore, those who applaud President Trump for fighting their battles against a few “bad apples” must recognise that, because of him, they risk losing the broader war against antisemitism – allowing it to spiral out of control. There are no better defenders of the Jewish people than facts, the ability to uncover the truth, and the public’s trust in the outcomes of that inquiry.

Eitay Mack is an Israeli human rights lawyer and activist who represents Palestinian victims of terror.

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