Is it anti-Semitic for President Trump to call Chuck Todd ‘sleepy eyes’?

President Trump, ever in favor of a memorable moniker for his Lyin’ or Crooked or Little targets of ire, has a puzzling nickname for the host of NBC’s “Meet the Press”: “Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd.”

Trump has been referring to Todd’s eyes on Twitter since 2012 — most recently, he used the phrase Sunday when reacting to Todd’s televised comments on North Korea — but he has never explained just what he means about Todd’s eyes.

This week, some Twitter users posited a troubling explanation: “Sleepy eyes” might be an anti-Semitic slur that Trump uses to target Todd, who is Jewish. Others said it is unlikely Trump or any of his advisers know about the slur, which is uncommon.

In Nazi Germany, propagandists listed physical characteristics that differentiated Jews from Aryans. While some characteristics were far more often mentioned, such as large noses and curly hair, drooping or “sleepy” eyes occasionally made the list.