TEL AVIV — Michael Chabon, the Pulitzer Prize winning American novelist, expressed his “hope” that President Donald Trump will have a “massive stroke” and be “carted out of the White House on a gurney.”
Chabon made the statements on an Israeli radio program on Monday after seeking the host’s suggestions “about how to get rid of Donald Trump.”
Watch the video below:
Here is a transcript of the exchange between Chabon and Goel Pinto, host of a daily morning radio program also televised on the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kahn (emphasis added):
PINTO: Donald Trump. You come to Israel. You say how bad we are.
CHABON: No. I am just saying how bad the occupation is.
PINTO: How bad the occupation is. Michael, you have Donald Trump.
CHABON: Yeah. You are right. Can you do something about that?
PINTO: No I can’t.
CHABON: I would love to hear anything you have to say about how to get rid of Donald Trump. I welcome your input.
PINTO: Tell me your view about your president.
CHABON: Every morning I wake up and in the seconds before I turn my phone on to see what the latest news is, I have this boundless sense of optimism and hope that this is the day that he is going to have a massive stroke, and, you know, be carted out of the White House on a gurney. And every day so far, I have been disappointed in that hope. But, you know, hope springs eternal. He’s an old guy, he doesn’t eat well, he’s overweight. He has terrible nutrition. He doesn’t exercise and it is that not that hard to imagine.
The interview took place on Monday and has not yet been reported by the news media.
Chabon’s statement expressing his hope that Trump will suffer a “massive stroke” was met with an audible gasp from Pinto.
Speaking to Breitbart Jerusalem, Pinto said he was surprised by the comments. “At the beginning, I was sure he was joking,” Pinto said. “But when I realized he was serious, I understood the harshness of his words, and how much America is divided.”
Breitbart Jerusalem sought comment on Thursday from Chabon through Harper Collins, which published some of his books and oversees his fan website.
The request for comment has not yet been returned.
Chabon, who resides in Berkeley, California, is the bestselling author of numerous books, including The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, A Model World, Wonder Boys, Werewolves in their Youth, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Summerland, The Final Solution, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Maps & Legends, Gentlemen of the Road, Telegraph Avenue and Moonglow.
The interview with Pinto focused in part on Chabon’s opposition to what he refers to as the Israeli “occupation” – meaning Israel’s presence in the West Bank, which contains historic Jewish communities such as Hebron and Beit El, and eastern sections of Jerusalem, which include the Temple Mount and Western Wall.
With his wife, Ayelet Waldman, Chabon edited the recently published anthology Kingdom of Olives and Ash, which focuses on what it calls Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank.
Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.