Trump | Racism

Note: Unlike most of the posts on this website (which are in reverse chronological order), this one is in chronological order.

Jul 14, 2019:

This morning Trump tweeted the following:

So interesting to see "Progressive" Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly......and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how....it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!

Source:

Trump, Donald. (July 14, 2019). "Donald Trump Twitter account tweet". Donald Trump. Retrieved 2019-07-15.

Although not specifically mentioned in the tweet, Trump is referring to the four House of Representatives members, who all all women of color, sometimes called the "Squad": Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota; Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachusetts.; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan.

Commentary:

As someone who’s intently watched the spectacle of Trump on a daily basis for the past 3-4 years, I must say that this time he really outdid himself.

Were Trump’s remarks racist? Absolutely. He's talking about four women of color, and telling them to go back where they came from. His words are exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to hear from a white nationalist or white supremacy group, or a member of the KKK. Trump's words are right up there with the white supremacist mantra "you will not replace us".

Was Trump's intention to make a racist remark? Is it possible he was just venting and pushing back against some of the controversial things recently said by members of the "Squad" – things that don’t align with his view of patriotism – and that maybe he's just too insensitive and dumb to realize what he's saying and how it might be interpreted? Trump claims he's not a racist, but based on the things he's said and his behavior over the past several years, I don't think he's of sound enough mind to accurately make that evaluation.

Apparently, in Trump's world you must believe in HIS concept of patriotism, otherwise you should leave the United States. What a narrow, one-sided, undemocratic, and yes, unpatriotic point of view.

Trump supporters seem to think that what Trump does is more important than what he says. They just attribute his questionable, exaggerated, often factually-incorrect, incendiary statements to his persona.

But here's the thing. Words matter. They matter regardless of who's speaking. And when it's the president of the most powerful, most influential country in the world, words matter even more. When you're president of the United States the whole world is watching, and listening, and "taking notes".

To be a good president you must be able to communicate, and communication requires words. It's painfully clear that time after time, Trump simply doesn't have the ability to keep his emotions in check when he speaks. At the end of the day it seems he's only interested in communicating with his base supporters, which is just another reason why Trump has no business being in the White House.

Later in the day Trump tweeted the following:

So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including Nancy Pelosi, “RACIST.” Their disgusting language.....and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged. If the Democrat Party wants to continue to condone such disgraceful behavior, then we look even more forward to seeing you at the ballot box in 2020!

Source:

Trump, Donald. (July 14, 2019). "Donald Trump Twitter account tweet". Donald Trump. Retrieved 2019-07-15.

Commentary:

What Democrats are sticking up for is the right for anyone in this country to speak their mind.

What Democrats are sticking up for is civility, respect, and common decency, and for an end to the racist undertones and outright racist statements by the current president of the United States.

I'm sure Democrats agree with Trump's statement about challenging what is said, but that doesn't mean you can make racists remarks in doing so.

Sorry Mr. President, on this one you're just plain wrong.

Jul 16, 2019:

In an exchange with a reporter, White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway confirmed what countries Trump meant in his July 14 tweet. Conway said that Trump said "...he said 'originally'. He said 'originally from.'"

Then, Conway launched into a somewhat emotional outburst saying:

He [Trump] is tired, a lot of us are sick and tired of America coming last...Sick and tired of our military being denigrated. Sick and tired of the Customs and Border Protection people I was with...

Source:

Gstalter, Morgan. (July 16, 2019). "Kellyanne Conway asks reporter 'what's your ethnicity' while defending Trump's 'go back' comments about minority lawmakers". The Hill. Retrieved 2019-07-22.

Commentary:

Trump did not use the word "originally" in his tweet. Trump said "...totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." If you're going to quote someone, make sure you quote them correctly. As I said before, words matter, and yes even the omission or inclusion of one word can make a big difference in meaning.

Regarding Conway's little outburst, I think it's fair to say that EVERYONE in the United States is "sick and tired", but for different reasons. Being "sick and tired" is no excuse for making a racist comment.

On the same day, on Fox News Conway referred to the "Squad" as a "dark underbelly" of the United States. Conway reiterated her "sick and tired" theme and also made the following statement:

When you throw the word racism around long enough, people get desensitized and that's a shame.

Source:

Samuels, Brett. (July 16, 2019). "Conway: Progressive congresswomen represent 'dark underbelly in this country'". The Hill. Retrieved 2019-07-22.

Commentary:

Trump made a racist statement and Democrats (along with a few Republicans) called him out on it. That's not throwing the word racism "around" - it's simply calling it what it is. Conway is simply trying to deflect attention away from the real issue, then turn it around and blame Democrats by saying "that's a shame".

As "off" as Conway's statement about racism is, her comment about people getting "desensitized" is all the more ludicrous. If you want to talk about desensitization, look no further than the desensitization that's occurred since Trump began his campaign and was elected president. The American people and people all around the world have been subjected to Trump's name-calling, his uncivil behavior, his disrespect for people and the rule of law, his borderline and sometimes outright racist remarks, his exaggerations, his mischaracterizations, his outright lies and disregard for the facts, and last but certainly not least, his daily barrage of tweets. Taken as a whole, we, as human beings on planet earth, have been massively desensitized into this dysfunctional "New Normal".

For Conway to claim desensitization in this state of the "New Normal", which was created by Trump and his supporters, is just another glaring example of the hypocrisy of Trump, his administration, and his supporters.

Jul 17, 2019:

At a Trump campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina some members of the crowd broke out into a chant of "send her back" (at 36:13 during the rally). When the chant began, Trump paused his speech and simply listened until the chant ended about 13 seconds later. Trump didn't do anything to stop the chant, and when it stopped he continued to attack Ilhan Omar by saying "And she talked about the evil Israel, and it's all about the Benjamin's [referring to money]."

Source:

(July 17, 2019). "President Trump in Greenville, North Carolina". C-Span. Retrieved 2019-07-23.

Jul 18, 2019:

At the White House Trump had the following to say about the "send her back" chant in North Carolina the night before:

I was not happy with it. I disagree with it...I didn't say that, they did.

Trying to imply that he made an effort to stop the chant by quickly resuming his speech after the chant started, Trump said:

I started speaking very quickly.

A reporter said the following to Trump:

But they were echoing what you said in your first tweet, that they should go back.

To which Trump responded:

Well, I don't think if you examine it, I don't think you'll find that.

Source:

Liptak, Kevin; Westwood, Sarah. (July 18, 2019). "Trump claims to disavow racist chant after pressure from allies". CNN. Retrieved 2019-07-23.

Trump on Omar: 'I Was Not Happy' With 'Send Her Back' Chant At Rally; 'I Didn't Say That, They Did' | Real Clear Politics

Trump disavows 'send her back' cry, Omar stands defiant | Associated Press

Ilhan Omar responds to rally chant: Trump is 'spewing his fascist ideology' | CNN

AOC, Ilhan Omar accuse Trump of 'spewing fascist ideology' after rally | Fox News

Commentary:

Trump claimed he started speaking again "very quickly". Again, Trump did nothing at the time to directly address the chant, and he immediately continued his remarks about Omar immediately after the chant ended. I don't think that 13 seconds is "very quickly".

Trump said he wasn't happy with the chant and that he disagreed with it. If that's true, then why didn't he say something to the crowd at the time?

Trump's comment to the reporter suggesting the crowd was not echoing what Trump said in his initial tweet is ludicrous and an outright lie. In that tweet Trump said "Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." The chant was "send them back". The meaning is essentially the same, and obviously the chant was derived from Trump's tweet. Sure sounds like echoing to me.

This is just another example of the hundreds and more likely thousands of times Trump has literally lied, on the record, in trying to "wiggle out" of a situation. It's pathetic and certainly not becoming of the president of the United States.

Jul 21, 2019:

In an interview with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller said the following while discussing the "send her back" chant:

...the core issue is that all the people in that audience and millions of patriotic Americans all across this country are tired of being beat up, condescended to, looked down upon, talked down to by members of Congress on the left in Washington, DC, and their allies in many corners of the media.

CNN's Chris Cillizza sums up Miller's remarks by saying:

But to argue, as Miller is doing, that Trump's racist tweets and willingness to countenance a deeply anti-American chant is somehow the result of being provoked by the mean words of four duly elected members of Congress is beyond far-fetched. Trump sent those tweets and let that chant grow because he knows that weaponizing racial resentment and grievance works for his political interests. Period. Miller's attempts to justify those actions by the President are, in a word, laughable.

Source:

Cillizza, Chris. (July 22, 2019). "Stephen Miller's laugh-out-loud excuse for Trump's 'send her back' reaction". CNN. Retrieved 2019-07-28.

Commentary:

Stephen Miller's remarks are similar to remarks made by Kellyanne Conway on July 16. But, as was the case with Conway, just because you're displeased by criticism is hardly a reason or an excuse to make racist statements.

Jul 23, 2019:

Trump released a pair of tweets touting all of his accomplishments as president, and stating that "The "Squad" (AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)] Plus 3) and other Dems suffer from "Trump Derangement Syndrome" because some want him impeached. In the first of those tweets Trump also said the following:

Newest Poll: Only 11% in favor of starting ridiculous impeachment hearings.

Most likely, Trump was referring to a recent Economist/YouGov poll which said 11% of Republicans support impeachment. The poll also said that 64% of Democrats support impeachment.

Source:

Frazin, Rachel. (July 23, 2019). "Trump says 'Squad' and Dems have 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' over impeachment". The Hill. Retrieved 2019-07-23.

Commentary:

I think the "Trump Derangement Syndrome" remark speaks for itself.

What I find more telling is that Trump chose to disclose only the poll results of how Republicans feel about impeachment. He didn't mention the poll results for Democrats. This is classic Trump - omitting information to purposefully mislead. If someone hears or reads that only 11% support something, surely that person will think that's a low number. If that person found out that there was "more to the story", and that 64% of another group supported that same thing, surely that person would come to a different conclusion.

If you've been paying attention for the past 2-3 years, you know there are hundreds of examples of Trump using this same "marketing trick". Now, grossly misrepresenting a poll number is one thing, but Trump does this kind of thing all the time, with things that are much, much more important. He has misled, and continues to mislead the people of America and the people of the world by painting a "fantasy world" made up of "alternative facts". Again, another reason why he has no business being in the White House.

Jul 25, 2019:

Representative Ilhan Omar, the Somali-born member of the "Squad", penned an op-ed in The New York Times. Here are a few quotes from that op-ed:

Throughout history, demagogues have used state power to target minority communities and political enemies, often culminating in state violence. Today, we face that threat in our own country, where the president of the United States is using the influence of our highest office to mount racist attacks on communities across the land.

The president's rally [July 17 in Greenville, North Carolina] will be a defining moment in American history. It reminds us of the grave stakes of the coming presidential election: that this fight is not merely about policy ideas; it is a fight for the soul of our nation. The ideals at the heart of our founding — equal protection under the law, pluralism, religious liberty — are under attack, and it is up to all of us to defend them.

The reasons for weaponizing division are not mysterious. Racial fear prevents Americans from building community with one another — and community is the lifeblood of a functioning democratic society. Throughout our history, racist language has been used to turn American against American in order to benefit the wealthy elite...His efforts to pit religious minorities against one another stem from the same playbook. If working Americans are too busy fighting with one another, we will never address the very real and deep problems our country faces — from climate change to soaring inequality to lack of quality affordable health care.

The only way to push back is to be unequivocal about our values. It is not enough to condemn Mr. Trump's racism. We must affirmatively confront racist policies...

The proudest moments in our history — from the Emancipation Proclamation to the civil rights movement to the struggle against fascism — have come when we fight to protect and expand basic democratic rights. Today, democracy is under attack once again.

Source:

Omar, Ilhan. (July 25, 2019). "Ilhan Omar: It Is Not Enough to Condemn Trump's Racism". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-07-28.

Jul 26, 2019:

An op-ed signed by 149 African Americans who served in the Obama administration was published in The Washington Post. Here are two quotes from the op-ed:

We stand with congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, as well as all those currently under attack by President Trump, along with his supporters and his enablers, who feel deputized to decide who belongs here — and who does not. There is truly nothing more un-American than calling on fellow citizens to leave our country — by citing their immigrant roots, or ancestry, or their unwillingness to sit in quiet obedience while democracy is being undermined.

We refuse to sit idly by as racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia are wielded by the president and any elected official complicit in the poisoning of our democracy.

Source:

Fluker, Clarence J.; Kinder, C.; Moore, Jesse; Harris, Khalilah M. (July 26, 2019). "We are African Americans, we are patriots, and we refuse to sit idly by". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-07-28.

Jul 30, 2019:

At the White House, Trump told reporters "I’m the least racist person there is anywhere in the world."

Source:

Fabian, Jordan. (July 30, 2019). "Trump says he is the 'least racist person anywhere in the world'". The Hill. Retrieved 2019-07-30.

Commentary:

Trump is the "least racist" person in the world? All I can do is shake my head in disbelief.

In Murphy, North Carolina, a billboard for "Cherokee Guns" shows photos of the four "Squad" members, with the phrase "The Four Horsemen Cometh" (with the word "Cometh" struck-through, replaced by the words "are Idiots". Below, the billboard says "Signed, the Deplorables."

Source:

Gstalter, Morgan. (July 30, 2019). "North Carolina gun shop puts up '4 Horsemen' billboard to slam progressive congresswomen". The Hill. Retrieved 2019-07-30.

Commentary:

The billboard, obviously related to Trump's recent comments (and harking back to Hilary Clinton's "deplorables" comment in the 2016 presidential election), shows how what Trump says is manifested by his staunch supporters. It's just another example of the stark divide in our country, and how Trump continues to "stoke the fires" of division.

Jul 31, 2019:

Pressley calls on Meadows to 'do the right thing' over '4 Horsemen' gun shop billboard | The Hill

Billboard Company To Pull Controversial Gun Shop Ad That Calls 'Squad' Idiots | HuffPost

Aug 6, 2019:

GUN STORE OWNER REPLACES AD TARGETING 'SOCIALIST' SQUAD, REFUSES TO APOLOGIZE | Newsweek

Aug 15, 2019:

Israel denies Omar and Tlaib entry after Trump tweet | The Hill

Netanyahu defends decision to bar Tlaib, Omar entry to Israel | The Hill

Lawmakers blast Trump as Israel bars door to Tlaib and Omar | The Hill

Trump doubles down on criticism of Omar, Tlaib | The Hill

AIPAC breaks with Netanyahu over Omar-Tlaib decision | The Hill