Trump – Racism & Misogyny
[This is part of our Trump’s Threat to Democracy project.]
Delegitimizing Communities – Project Democracy:
“The United States has an ugly, tragic, and far from perfect history of living up to its founding principles in protecting the rights of all Americans. And yet, most modern American leaders have expressed an inclusive vision of the United States, acknowledging our imperfect past while holding out hope for a better future.”
On this page we’ve gathered excerpts from articles on (1) Trump’s racist and misogynist dog whistles | (2) a subcategory of (1): (2) birtherism | (3) Racism fueled by Trump & the racist appeal of his candidacy | (4) history of racism
1.
Washington Post – J. Rubin – 8/13/2020 – Media Must Decode Trump’s Racism & Sexism
She argues that reporters need to call out Trump’s dog whistling.
“President Trump and his right-wing sycophants are no longer hiding their racism and misogyny: Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) is ‘nasty’; Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is going to bring ‘low-income’ housing into the suburbs.”
The media, she maintains, needs to make sure their audience understands that Booker is black, that Trump’s real estate company was sued for alleged racial discrimination in the 1970s, and that ‘“low-income’ is a favorite code-word for Black or Hispanic.”
“When reporting on Trump calling Harris “nasty” or “angry,” it is critical for the account to explain that these are common insults Trump throws at women, meant to deprive them of respect, status and power. It is meant to reinforce the stereotype that women must be docile, respectful and pleasing to men.”
She cites CNN as having done a good job of calling out Trump’s patterns of racism and misogyny:
[Quoting CNN:
He has told Black reporters who are women that they are asking “stupid” questions, described their queries as “racist,” and called one a “loser.” He has repeatedly labeled Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat, as “low IQ” and attacked his former aide Omarosa Manigault Newman as “that dog” and a “crazed, crying lowlife.
And as racial tensions increased this summer after the murders of unarmed Black Americans, Trump went after Washington, DC, Mayor [Muriel] Bowser, claiming she was constantly asking the federal government for “handouts” while mismanaging the nation’s capital.
Trump did nothing to project a message of racial reconciliation amid the protests; instead, he dug into a “law and order” message that relied heavily on racist themes, including a defense of Confederate statues and the Confederate flag and a reliance on language that harkened to the Civil Rights era.
[/Quoting CNN]
[Bartleby Notes: “handouts” plays into Reagan’s “welfare queen” imagery]
She argues that journalists should go further, and question other Republicans how they can support a president who behaves in this way.
She also notes that, “Trump’s Cabinet is overwhelmingly White and male.”
1 & 2.
NPR – T. Keith – 8/14/2020 – Trump campaign uses racist, sexist tropes to attack Kamala Harris
From the transcript by NPR journalist Tamara Keith:
KEITH: The language was colorful, but the focus was ostensibly on policy. President Trump, though, immediately went more personal, describing Harris as disrespectful, nasty and angry, playing into the old racist, sexist trope of the angry Black woman. Then yesterday, given the opportunity to reject a birther conspiracy making the rounds on the Internet, Trump threw fuel on it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I heard it today that she doesn’t meet the requirements. And by the way, the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualified, very talented lawyer.
KEITH: There is no question Harris was born in Oakland, Calif. Yes, her father was an immigrant from Jamaica, her mother from India, but Harris is as much a natural-born American as President Trump, whose own mother immigrated from Scotland. And so as he often does, Trump did add a dose of plausible deniability.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: I have no idea if that’s right. I would have – I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice president.
. . . .
Keith then notes that birtherism against non-white politicians is a Trump-favorite; and she plays some quotes from his similar attacks on Obama’s right to be president, based again on a conspiracy theory surrounding his place of birth.
He also played the same card in 2016 against Senator Ted Cruz:
TRUMP: I mean, I don’t even think – you know, based on things that I’ve learned over the last few days, many lawyers are coming out saying he doesn’t even have a right to run.
KEITH: And he always uses the same arm’s length, just asking questions formula to inject conspiracies into the American bloodstream. On “CBS This Morning,” Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, went to a defense Trump allies use regularly.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JARED KUSHNER: He just said that he had no idea whether that’s right or wrong. I don’t see that as promoting it. But look; at the end of the day, it’s something that’s out there.
KEITH: This is a way for Trump to signal to his base that America is changing and that they should be afraid, says Amanda Renteria, who served as political director on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
AMANDA RENTERIA: You know, the energy that you’ve seen of women of color, of breaking barriers, sons and daughters of – a daughter of an immigrant – he immediately is trying to strip that down by saying that’s not American.
KEITH: Trump held another press conference Friday and did nothing to correct the record. Tamara Keith, NPR News.
1 & 3.
CGTN – May 2020 – Trump’s racist remarks fuels new round of racial division in the US
“Three days after the police killing of an unarmed black man in Minneapolis, Trump tweeted ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts.’ Taking into account the context of the original expression, the platform flagged the post for ‘glorifying violence.’
“The phrase was used both by Miami’s police chief, Walter Headley, in 1967, and by presidential candidate and segregationist George Wallace the following year.”
. . . .
Far-Right rally in Charlottesville, six months after Trump takes office.
“Within the rally, some carried racist and anti-Semitic slogans, Nazi flags, Confederate battle flags, anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic banners.”
“In his initial response, Trump referred to the rally as ‘hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides’ without condemning the white supremacists undertone of the assembly.
“In his later statement to defend himself, he went further to claim there are ‘very fine people on both sides,’ suggesting a moral equivalence between the white supremacist marchers and those who protested against them.”
They also cite the “shithole countries” remark that some claim Trump made in a January 2018 Oval Office meeting (reacting to “immigration figures from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, and African countries”). Trump later denied the statement.
And they cite “send her back” (7/14/2019):
“The four women of color were widely inferred as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib. Trump labeled them as people ‘who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world,’ and suggested them ‘go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.’
“Goaded on by the president, a crowd at Trump’s 2020 campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina chanted ‘Send her back! Send her back!’ in reference to Ilhan Omar.”
Other sections in the article: ‘Rat and rodent infested mess’ & ‘Chinese Virus’
1 & 3
The Oracle – June 2020 – Trump’s presidency has made room for racism in America
“The Anti-Defamation League found that acts of white supremacist propaganda almost tripled from 2017 to 2018, jumping from 428 to 1,214 cases. Last year, the acts more than doubled to 2,713.”
They mention the Charlottesville rally, where a nineteen year old man drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protestors, injuring 19 and killing one. As mentioned in the above article, Trump refused to condemn the violence.
“Capital News Service interviewed white nationalist and activist Thomas Rousseau, who felt that Trump was a white nationalist himself. He recounts times that the president used racial slurs and made xenophobic and anti-Semitic remarks about the Mexican and Jewish populations of the U.S., calling Trump’s words ‘encouraging.’ ”
Some discussion of his general sense that Jews are rich and in real estate.
Hypocrisy / showing true colors:
“Trump’s lack of support for minorities in the U.S. has been evident this past month when he tweeted that those who were peacefully protesting against police brutality were ‘thugs,’ clearly referring to black and other minority protesters. A few days prior to the protests, however, he referred to those barging into state capitals with guns to protest stay-at-home orders as “very good people,” most of whom were white.”
This is also mentioned in the Vox article below:
“Trump’s campaign is largely supported by those who have ‘racial resentment,’ according to a study done by Cambridge professors in 2018 about the reasoning behind Trump’s 2016 presidential votes. Thus, he benefits from racism which helps keep his presidency and his campaigns afloat.”
3.
Vox – Trump’s history of racism, from the 1970s to 2020
This is a long article.
We’ll just highlight this bit about how bigotry played a critical role in Trump’s presidential campaign:
“One paper, published in January 2017 by political scientists Brian Schaffner, Matthew MacWilliams, and Tatishe Nteta, found that voters’ measures of sexism and racism correlated much more closely with support for Trump than economic dissatisfaction, after controlling for factors like partisanship and political ideology.”
“Another study, conducted by researchers Brenda Major, Alison Blodorn, and Gregory Major Blascovich shortly before the 2016 election, found that if people whoVox – Trump’s history of racism, from the 1970s to 2020
This is a long article.
We’ll just highlight this bit about how bigotry played a critical role in Trump’s presidential campaign:
“One paper, published in January 2017 by political scientists Brian Schaffner, Matthew MacWilliams, and Tatishe Nteta, found that voters’ measures of sexism and racism correlated much more closely with support for Trump than economic dissatisfaction, after controlling for factors like partisanship and political ideology.”
“Another study, conducted by researchers Brenda Major, Alison Blodorn, and Gregory Major Blascovich shortly before the 2016 election, found that if people who strongly identified as white were told that nonwhite groups will outnumber white people in 2042, they became more likely to support Trump.”
There was also a 2017 study where people were asked their views on housing policy, and either shown an image of white or black people:
“The researchers found that Trump supporters were much more likely to be impacted by the image of a Black man. After the exposure, they were not only less supportive of housing assistance programs, but they also expressed higher levels of anger that some people receive government assistance, and they were more likely to say that individuals who receive assistance are to blame for their situation.
“In contrast, favorability toward Hillary Clinton did not significantly change respondents’ views on any of these issues when primed with racial cues.”
strongly identified as white were told that nonwhite groups will outnumber white people in 2042, they became more likely to support Trump.”
There was also a 2017 study where people were asked their views on housing policy, and either shown an image of white or black people:
“The researchers found that Trump supporters were much more likely to be impacted by the image of a Black man. After the exposure, they were not only less supportive of housing assistance programs, but they also expressed higher levels of anger that some people receive government assistance, and they were more likely to say that individuals who receive assistance are to blame for their situation.
“In contrast, favorability toward Hillary Clinton did not significantly change respondents’ views on any of these issues when primed with racial cues.”
4.
Atlantic – June 2019 – An oral history of Trump’s bigotry
“Instances of bigotry involving Donald Trump span more than four decades. The Atlantic interviewed a range of people with knowledge of several of those episodes. Their recollections have been edited for concision and clarity.”
The beginnings of each section in the article:
I. “You Don’t Want to Live With Them Either”
The Justice Department’s 1973 lawsuit against Trump Management Company focused on 39 properties in New York City. The government alleged that employees were directed to tell African American lease applicants that there were no open apartments. Company policy, according to an employee quoted in court documents, was to rent only to “Jews and executives.”
II. “Bring Back the Death Penalty”
The so-called Central Park Five were a group of black and Latino teens who were accused—wrongly—of raping a white woman in Central Park on April 19, 1989. Donald Trump took out full-page ads in all four major New York newspapers to argue that perpetrators of crimes such as this one “should be forced to suffer” and “be executed.” In two trials, in August and December 1990, the youths were convicted of violent offenses including assault, robbery, rape, sodomy, and attempted murder; their sentences ranged from five to 15 years in prison. In 2002, after the discovery of exonerating DNA evidence and the confession by another individual to the crime, the convictions of the Central Park Five were vacated. …
III. “They Don’t Look Like Indians to Me”
In the early 1990s, Trump attempted to block the building of new casinos in Connecticut and New York that could cut into his casino operations in Atlantic City. (All of Trump’s casinos eventually went into bankruptcy.) In October 1993, Trump appeared before the House Subcommittee on Native American Affairs of the Committee on Natural Resources. The subcommittee was chaired by Bill Richardson, later New Mexico’s governor. Trump was there to support an effort to modify legislation that had given Native American tribes the right to own and operate casinos. George Miller, a Democrat from California and the chair of the Committee on Natural Resources, was also present.
IV. “Our Very Vicious World”
In the summer of 2005, Donald Trump had an idea: What if the next season of his reality-TV show, The Apprentice, pitted “a team of successful African Americans versus a team of successful whites”? Trump thought the format would be a sort of social commentary—“reflective of our very vicious world.” The concept never made it to air, but Trump’s treatment of black contestants on his show generated controversy.
V. “He Doesn’t Have a Birth Certificate”
“Our current president came out of nowhere, came out of nowhere … The people who went to school with him—they never saw him; they don’t know who he is.” That statement, made at the February 2011 Conservative Political Action Conference, marked the launch of Donald Trump’s public efforts to sow doubt about whether President Barack Obama had been born in the United States. “Birtherism” had been festering for several years before Trump embraced it—supplanting other proponents and becoming its most prominent advocate. In March, on The View, Trump called on Obama to show his birth certificate. In April, he said that he had dispatched a team of investigators to Hawaii to search for Obama’s birth records.
VI. “On Many Sides”
Roughly six months into Trump’s presidency, on the night of Friday, August 11, 2017, hundreds of neo-Nazis and white supremacists marched onto the University of Virginia’s campus in Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us” and “Blood and soil,” a Nazi slogan. The “Unite the Right” rally was protesting the proposed removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Confrontations arose between members of the so-called alt-right and groups of counterprotesters, including members of the anti-fascist movement known as “antifa.”
VII. “Go Back to Their Huts”
In office, Donald Trump followed through on his promise to curb immigration from majority-Muslim countries. He created a commission to investigate voter fraud (virtually nonexistent, according to state election officials), claiming that he would have won the popular vote but for millions of ballots cast by people in the U.S. illegally. He shut down the government for 35 days in an attempt to secure funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. He reportedly referred to African countries as “shithole” nations—asking why the U.S. can’t have more immigrants from Norway instead—and complained that, after seeing America, immigrants from Nigeria would never “go back to their huts.” The administration favored victims of Hurricane Harvey, which hit Houston, over those of Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico, sending three times as many workers to Houston and approving 23 times as much money for individual assistance within the first nine days after each hurricane.
[This is part of our Trump’s Threat to Democracy project.]
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