This now-deleted tweet from 80’s romcom star John Cusack came straight out of the Daily Stormer, straight from the bowels of the alt-right.

John Cusack tweeted something blatantly anti-Semitic, thinking it was just anti-Israel.



The fact that in 2019 a celebrity can openly share anti-Jewish stuff like this and genuinely think it's politically OK tells you a lot about why Israel became necessary and remains so. pic.twitter.com/2Qaqb21w9x — (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) June 18, 2019

It’s definitely disgusting, and for most actors, would lead to a career-ending dogpile. (See Michael Richards or Mel Gibson for context.) But John Cusack has a special place in so many 80s kids’ hearts, it’s hard to hate him. I mean, if you were around then, you knew him from “Better off Dead” and “Say Anything.” Ah, the classics.

In the 90s, Cusack added “Grosse Point Blank” and in 2000, “High Fidelity.” All good movies, well acted with heart. As an actor, Cusack has been working steady for 30 years without a career-imploding bomb (let’s not count “Hot Tub Time Machine”). Yet here he is, embracing alt-right dreck about Jews and money.

But wait: Cusack says he didn’t mean to tweet a terrible anti-Semitic trope about Jews and their money. In fact, he’s not alt-right at all–he’s anti-MAGA. He’s so anti-MAGA that he embraces the intersectional movement dealing with anti-Israel, Hamas-supporting causes.

I thought someone was agreeing with a tweet – retweeted without really looking at it – bubbah RT @123ezstreet: "Mistakenly retweeted an alt-right account" Like your finger slipped and you hit retweet? I'm trying to figure this out… https://t.co/cY4qox04bx — John Cusack (@johncusack) June 18, 2019

Well if it needs more clarity -this can be instructive – some thought – to follow –

1. in reaction to Palestinian human rights under Israeli occupation, an issue that concerns anyone fighting for justice , I RT’d & quickly deleted an image that’s harmful to both Jewish – — John Cusack (@johncusack) June 18, 2019

2. & Palestinian friends, & for that I’m sorry.

The image depicted a blue Star of David, which I associated with Israel as their flag uses the same color & shape. I know the star itself is deeply meaningful to Jews no matter where they stand on Israel’s attacks on Palestinians — John Cusack (@johncusack) June 18, 2019

… a bunch of tweets in between here because Cusack claims he doesn’t know how to make a thread in Twitter…

6 – so while I won’t take guff from anyone looking to score cheap shots on a caress mistweet- good to use my mistake to spread awareness – solidarity and peace to all — John Cusack (@johncusack) June 18, 2019

I’m even willing to give Cusack the benefit of the doubt here–some grace–that he carelessly tweeted a horrible anti-Semitic trope because he was combing his anti-Israel friends feeds and just agreeing with random thoughts.

But that makes him exactly like the one person he respects least. And let’s see Cusack offer some grace to our president, when some of Trump’s more ardent defenders share his opinions about Israel and its inhabitants.

It’s possible to be so far into the intersectional left that you hold hands with the alt-right. I think this mistaken retweet, from such a beloved symbol of teen angst, adds more proof to that notion.